Disney Academy: Next Semester
by ShizukaRakugaki44
Summary: Set after the events of Disney Academy, this sequel continues the stories of the lesser-known Princesses that didn't get focused on as much like Esmeralda Meg and Kida. This one will also spotlight the newer Disney Princesses who didn't show up in the previous fanfic, including Tiana Rapunzel Merida and Moanna along with the sisters Anna and Elsa from Frozen.
1. Chapter 1: Topsy Turvy

**So because I wasn't able to include the newer Disney Princesses in the original fanfic, I thought I'd make up for it in this sequel that will focus on them as well as continue the stories of the lesser-focused Princesses such as Esmeralda Meg and Kida. With that said, I hope you enjoy this****!**

Chapter 1: Topsy Turvy

As the Spring Semester of Disney Academy began, most students were preoccupied not with their studies but on an upcoming event called the Festival of Fools. Held every year in January, it included many activities such as music and dancing along with a contest to determine the ugliest person in the school who would be crowned the King of Fools. This was a subject of controversy not only due to its offensive nature but also because of its roots in a tradition held by the Romani, an underrepresented minority in the city. But Esmeralda, who was Romani herself, didn't care for these things as she was too busy getting ready for her annual dance at the festival by practicing with her pet goat Djali.

Because pets weren't allowed on the school grounds, though, she decided to take her practice performances to the city streets. This caused some passing people to throw coins her way, despite her dance being only a practiced version of it. Then one afternoon, Djali suddenly made a bleating noise as two guys showed up. One was skinny with a long face while the other was fat with a pudgy nose, though they both wore gray jackets and pants with silver caps on.

"All right, Gypsy, where did you get the money?" Asked the skinny guy.

Esmeralda frowned and picked up an old hat in front of her where the coins were tossed into. "For your information, I earned it."

The skinny guy gave her a skeptical look. "Gypsies don't earn money."

"They steal it," replied the fat guy, grabbing Esmeralda's shoulders from behind.

As Esmeralda struggled against the fat guy, the skinny guy moved closer to her. Just then, a horse's rear end backed into the skinny guy while the blond-haired rider said, "Achilles, sit!"

Immediately, the horse sat on the skinny guy causing the fat guy to loosen his grip enough for Esmeralda to push him back and run away with Djali following at her heels. Inside a dark alleyway, Esmeralda realized she had dropped the coins from her hat in the commotion leaving an obvious trail behind her. Then she heard footsteps and covered herself in an old blanket lying on the ground while Djali stood on her lap.

The two of them sat perfectly still against the wall of the alleyway as the footsteps drew closer, then two coins fell into the old hat Esmeralda had placed in front of her. As the footsteps retreated, Esmeralda peeked out from beneath the blanket and saw a tall figure walking away from her. She recognized him as the blond-haired rider from before, who was wearing a navy blue jacket gold-colored slacks and shoes causing her to realize he was a male student from Disney Academy.

###

On the day of the festival, Esmeralda was inside a private tent looking at herself in a nearby mirror. Instead of her school uniform, who consisted of a gold skirt and matching vest over a white dress shirt and stockings with black shoes, she wore a red flowing dress and a gold tiara over her dark curly brown hair with matching gold hooped earrings. Then as she was about to apply makeup to her face, a short figure in a black hooded cloak suddenly fell into her tent from outside onto the floor.

"Are you hurt?" Esmeralda asked, trying to help the figure up.

"N-N-No," the figure stuttered, looking up at Esmeralda.

In the light of a nearby lamp, the figure's face appeared to be lopsided with misshapen eyes a large nose and a buck-toothed mouth. Not flinching, Esmeralda pulled the figure to his feet.

"See? No harm done," Esmeralda smiled. Then as the figure covered up his face with the cloak and walked out of the tent, Esmeralda called, "By the way, great mask!"

Afterwards, Esmeralda applied her makeup and left the tent. On her way to a big wooden platform at the middle of an intersection of colorful tents and booths, she ran into a young boy with short brown hair wearing a green shirt under a brown vest with matching pants and shoes.

"Sorry!" The boy apologized, backing away from Esmeralda in embarrassment. "Have you seen my pig run through here?"

"A pig?" Esmeralda shook her head. "I haven't seen one."

"It's actually his adopted father Dallben's pig," said a young girl with light blonde hair wearing a white blouse under a purple dress who stood beside the boy. "Her name is Hen Wen and she can see into the future."

"I see," Esmeralda replied, trying to hide her bewilderment. "Well, if I should see your pig I'll let you know."

"Oh, thanks!" The brown-haired boy said. "But I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find her."

In response, the blonde-haired girl bobbed the brown-haired boy on the head. Then she smiled at Esmeralda. "My name is Eilonwy, by the way, and this overconfident dolt is Taran. We're both Freshman at Disney Academy."

"That would explain why I don't recognize you two," Esmeralda realized. "I'm Esmeralda and this is the second semester of my Senior year."

"I've heard about you!" Eilonwy exclaimed. "You became the school's Swim Team Captain after Ariel temporarily quit, right?"

"Yes, that is true," Esmeralda confirmed.

"Though I've heard the reason Ariel quit was because she was starting to regress into a Mermaid after White Apple Pharmaceuticals went under, which produced Sea Pills that temporarily gives legs to Mermaids," Eilonwy brought up. "Is there some truth to that, even though she seems fine now?"

Before Esmeralda could answer, she noticed a parade was heading toward the wooden platform. At the front of it was a masked jester in purple-and-blue clothing whom she recognized as Clopin Trouillefou, who was not only the head of the Theater Club at Disney Academy but also in the same Romani group Esmeralda was a part of.

"Well, I must be going," Esmeralda said to Eilonwy and Taran. "It was nice meeting you two, and good luck finding your pig."

As Clopin leaped onto the platform, he gestured to several ugly people running past causing the crowds to cheer and laugh in delight. Then Clopin said Esmeralda's name and disappeared in a cloud of red smoke with Esmeralda dancing in his place. Banging on her tambourine and shaking the bells on her wrists and ankles, she danced around the platform much to the crowds' amusement. She soon noticed a tall man with a sour-looking face wearing a black suit whom she realized was Claude Frollo, the school's librarian who had been promoted to school secretary following the mysterious disappearance of the previous one Jeff Arum-Baugh (whose real name turned out to be Jafar).

Cheekily, Esmeralda danced over to Frollo's chair sat in his lap and then kissed him before leaving a thin blue scarf with yellow moons and stars on it around his neck. Next, she noticed the black-hooded figure from before and dragged him onto the platform despite his protests. After Esmeralda spun him around a few times, she removed his cloak revealing a stumpy young man wearing an oversized green quarter-sleeve shirt that barely covered his hunched back massive arms and short legs that had brown sweatpants on them with matching shoes. Instead of laughing or cheering, the crowds gasped in horror at the young man's misshapen face.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2: Go the Distance

Chapter 2: Go the Distance

While everyone at Disney Academy was having fun at the Festival of Fools, Meg was running away from a Centaur with black hair and blue skin alongside the river that ran through the city. As she tripped over the purple heeled shoes she foolishly wore, though they went well with her purple one-strapped top and ripped blue jeans, the Centaur picked her up with one massive hand.

"Put me down!" Meg demanded.

"Not until you agree to be mine," the Centaur insisted.

Then just as the Centaur leaned close to Meg for a kiss, another _splash _was heard. Looking in front of her, Meg saw a chestnut-haired young man with large muscular arms and legs walking towards her with a sword at his side and a shield on his back. His clothes consisted of gold armor and a blue tunic. Beyond him stood a white horse with wings and a small goat-like creature with curved horns and a hairy chest.

"Excuse me," the muscular young man said, staring up at Meg awkwardly. "Are you…a damsel-in-distress?"

"Well, I am a damsel," Meg replied, struggling against the Centaur's grip. "I'm in distress, but I've got this situation covered. Have a nice day!"

"Fear not!" The young man proclaimed. "For I have this!"

As the young man reached for his sword, it slipped out of his hands and fell into the water.

"What're you doing?" Shouted the goat-like creature. "Get your sword!"

"Sword, right," the young man muttered as he leaned down and picked something up. "This weapon will surely save you, Miss!"

Instead of the sword, the young man accidentally picked up a confused fish causing the Centaur to laugh while Meg groaned in irritation. While the fish slipped from the young man's grasp, the Centaur punched him into a nearby rock. Though the rock cracked, the young man managed to get up unscathed and ran towards the Centaur picking up his sword in the process. Then he sliced the Centaur's chest, causing him to drop Meg into the water. Fortunately, the young man picked her up before she got swept down the river and placed her on a smaller rock by the shore.

"Are you all right?" The young man asked.

"Yeah," Meg said, parting her wet brunette hair that was tied up by a purple ribbon.

The sound of hooves distracted the young man, as the Centaur came charging at him. While the young man met the Centaur head on, Meg squeezed the river water out of her hair. "Is this guy for real?"

"Oh, he's real all right," responded the goat-like creature, who now stood beside Meg. "And sweet cheeks, I'm real too."

Disgusted, Meg pushed the goat-like creature into the river while she continued to dry herself. By the time she got the water out of her shoes, the young man had punched the Centaur so high into the air that his horseshoes came off and conked him in the head till he passed out.

"By the way, I never got your name, Miss," the young man realized, cleaning his sword of the Centaur's blood before sheathing it.

"Megara," Meg answered, putting her shoes back on. "My friends call me Meg, though I don't have too many of those."

"How come?" The young man asked.

Instead of answering, Meg walked up to the young man. "So what's with these rippling pectorals, huh? Got a name attached to them?"

The young man cleared his throat. "My name is Hercules."

"Hercules…" Meg pondered for a moment. "Are you from out of town?"

"Yeah, I just got here," Hercules responded. "I've been training for the past year with my coach Phil, who's a Satyr, and my best friend Pegasus."

Nearby, the goat-like creature huffed at Meg while the winged horse neighed grumpily.

"Interesting friends you've got," Meg remarked. "Any particular reason you've come to this city, Herc?"

"To attend Disney Academy," Hercules stated. "While I may have reached peak physical condition thanks to Phil's training, he says attending this school will further my education and get me closer to becoming a true Hero."

"A true Hero," Meg repeated, smiling in amusement. "Well, go the distance, Wonder Boy. I'm sure you'll do great things here."

Then as Meg walked past Hercules, he called, "Will I see you around?"

"Maybe," Meg shrugged, looking over her shoulder. "Depends on which crowd you run with."

Leaving Hercules to ponder over that, Meg went under a bridge that was nearby and saw two creatures approach her. One was a rabbit with magenta fur while the other was gopher with turquoise fur.

"Aw, how cute," Meg said sarcastically. "A little late, much?"

"Excuse me, but I am a bunny!" Responded the rabbit.

"And I'm a gopher," said the gopher.

Then in a flash, the creatures changed into a pair of teenage boys with magenta and turquoise hair shaped like devil horns. But while the magenta-haired boy was short and fat, the turquoise-haired one was tall and skinny.

"Surprise!" The two boys said in unison.

"Very funny, Pain and Panic," Meg frowned and turned away from them.

In front of her stood a tall figure with blue skin yellow eyes and blue flames spouting from the top of his head. His clothing consisted of a black toga with trailing mist.

"Hi, Meg," the figure said snidely.

Meg folded her arms. "What is it, Hades?"

"I thought I told you to persuade the River Guardian to join my team for the uprising," Hades explained, making a chessboard appear in one hand that had a statue of the Centaur on it. "And now I'm River Guardian-less. Need I remind you of why we're doing this?"

Sighing, Meg said, "Because we defected from the Pandemonium Gang when you failed to persuade that green-skinned girl Maleficent to join you."

"Correction!" Hades objected. "She betrayed _me _by threatening to tell the Pandemonium Gang's leader the Emperor who I was when I said I'd blow her cover as a Disney Academy student, when she was really an evil Fairy who was trying to kill a student named Aurora, if she didn't join me."

"Why would it matter if the Emperor knew you were not a regular guy that happened to be skilled at magic but the literal Greek God of the Dead?" Meg asked. "That would make him fear you more than anything else."

"Because it would only be a matter of time before my brother Zeus found out, and I can't let him know anything about to my plan," Hades insisted. "Now what happened to the River Guardian?"

"I talked to him like you asked, but then he got all fresh with me," Meg explained. "Then this kid named Hercules showed up and—

"Wait," Hades interrupted. "What was that name you said?"

Rolling her eyes, Meg repeated, "Hercules."

This caused Hades to walk past Meg and grab Pain and Panic by their necks. "Care to explain yourselves, boys?"

"_We're sorry,_" Pain whimpered, choking as he spoke. "_I know you told us to kidnap Hercules when he was a baby, make him mortal with that stuff you gave us, and then kill him_—

"_But he didn't drink the whole bottle,_" Panic interjected, coughing. "_So he retained his godly strength and sent us flying, before he got adopted by a farming couple._"

"And where does this farming couple live?" Hades demanded.

"_On the other side of the country,_" Pain said.

"So what is he doing here in this city?" Hades' blue flames turned red as he spoke.

"To become a true Hero," Meg said abruptly. "That's what he told me, after he said he'd been training with a Satyr named Phil this past year."

"Phil?" Hades paused and then grinned. "Ah, you mean Philoctetes."

"Who's he?" Meg asked.

"Just an old goat who trained all the worlds' greatest heroes," Hades said nonchalantly, letting go of Pain and Panic who landed on their rear ends. "But if he's trained Hercules, that means Zeus must've told Hercules that he's actually a God and the only way to restore his immortality is by becoming a true Hero which is going to complicate my plan."

"What's your deal with Hercules, anyway?" Seeing Hades glare at her, Meg flinched briefly.

"Eighteen years ago, there was a prophecy told to me by the Fates who said my plan would be ruined by Hercules," Hades reluctantly said. "So I ordered Pain and Panic to kill him, but now knowing that they messed up I'll have to deal with Hercules myself."

"What're you going to do?" Pain asked, getting to his feet.

"We won't screw up this time," Panic assured, standing up as well.

"You'd better not," Hades replied, causing Pain and Panic to move closer to him by manipulating the mist to grab them like tendrils. "And you're going to help me too, Meg. After all, your soul is mine."

Unable to move, Meg was pulled closer to Hades by the same mist-like tendrils as he told her Pain and Panic about his new plan to eliminate Hercules.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3: Atlantis

Chapter 3: Atlantis

Among the various districts in the city, the most heavily guarded one was the District of Atlantis. Not only was it protected by a mechanical creature nicknamed the Leviathan, but also watched by several armed warriors wielding hooked spears and wearing giant masks that covered their entire bodies. Among these patrolling sentries was Kida, who normally didn't do this but was forced to because a group of invaders had recently slipped past the Leviathan and were making their way through the district's maze-like highway which was filled with pitfalls roadblocks and other creatures of unfathomable danger.

This included a hive of unusual fireflies, who didn't react well to light and had the ability to set things on fire when agitated. So when the caravan of invaders set up camp near the hive, which was under an archway made of stone, someone shined a flashlight on it causing the fireflies inside to swarm over the camp and set it ablaze. Kida and the others watched this from afar, but they did nothing to interfere as the invaders tried to get away from the fireflies in their trucks and other vehicles. Then for some reason, the hive collapsed onto the stone bridge the invaders were driving on causing their vehicles to fall into the hole below along with the people inside them. Immediately, Kida and the others made their way down into the hole through a secret passage where they came across one person lying on a pile of rocks.

It was a young man with short brown hair and round glasses who was wearing a green undershirt and brown pants with a satchel on his back. He had an obvious wound on his shoulder, and appeared to be knocked out. But when one of the warriors prodded his glasses, he woke up and looked at the giant faces that surrounded him in surprise. So Kida stepped forward and knelt before the frightened young man removing her mask in the process. The two stared at each other in silence, before Kida examined the young man's bleeding wound.

As the young man stuttered, Kida held up the crystal she wore around her neck which glowed a bright blue in the darkness and traced it around the wound. Next, she pressed her hand against the wound causing a flash of light. When she removed her hand, the wound healed itself much to the young man's amazement. Then as Kida put her mask back on, a loud rumbling sound echoed from behind causing her and the other warriors to leap away.

"Hey!" The young man called, following Kida and the others. "Wait a minute! Who are you? Where are you going?"

Further up the tunnel, the warriors and Kida scattered while the young man and several other people emerged onto a cliff facing a tropical landscape decorated in waterfalls and stones that gave off a natural glow in place of sunlight. Then in the distance, a city made of carved stones stood surrounded by an inland sea and tall moss-covered statues.

"Holy Mother Jefferson Davis!" Exclaimed an elderly man in a Western drawl.

"It's beautiful," said a teenage girl of Hispanic heritage wearing blue overalls.

"I don't know how you did it, Milo, but you really came through," responded a tall African-American man as he put an arm around the bespectacled young man Kida healed.

Then Kida and the other warriors surrounded the individuals from the cave entrance, forcing them to move towards the edge of the cliff.

"Who are these guys?" Demanded a middle-aged man with silver streaks in his hair as he and a blonde-haired woman with a crooked eyebrow reached for their gun holsters.

"They got to be Atlanteans," exclaimed the bespectacled young man named Milo.

"What?" The blonde-haired woman with the crooked eyebrow exclaimed.

"I've seen this back with the Lakota," the elderly man murmured. "They can smell fear just by looking at'cha. So be quiet."

Kida paused and then she said in English, "No one is allowed to enter Atlantis without permission from the District Head, so turn back now and forget you saw anything."

"You're kind of blocking the way, though," said a short man wearing funny-looking goggles.

"If you agree to leave this place at once, we shall let you walk past us out of this tunnel!" Kida insisted, stamping her spear into the ground.

"You won't tell the authorities on us, will you?" Asked Milo, who stepped forward sheepishly. "We're a privately funded archaeological expedition, you see, and we heard rumors of an ancient city buried beneath the District of Atlantis. Is that it behind us?"

Kida removed her mask and stared at Milo. "Why have you come here? In secret, no less, when you could have just asked for permission."

"We heard that it's…difficult to get permission to visit this district," Milo answered.

"That still doesn't excuse your expedition for breaking several laws and risking your own lives just to get to this place," Kida argued.

"Then let's make a deal with the District Head," Milo offered.

"What kind of deal?" Kida asked.

"If we agree to not say anything about this place to anyone else, will you let us stay?" Milo said in a pleading tone.

After a pause, Kida grabbed Milo's hand. "Come. You must speak with my father."

###

Crossing a wooden bridge, Kida and the other Atlantean warriors escorted Milo and his colleagues into the stone city which they were amazed by. Then they made their way into the centermost building, where two large guards opened the double doors which led into a throne-room where a circular pool stood in the center while beyond it was a set of stairs leading up to a bearded man lying upon a lounge chair who had the same white hair and dark brown skin that Kida had but with different blue-colored tattoos.

"My father, the District Head of Atlantis," Kida said in native Atlantean. "We have caught the invaders, who are members of a privately funded archaeological expedition. They've agreed to swear to secrecy, if they are allowed to stay in our district."

"We cannot allow them to stay here," the bearded man responded in Atlantean as he sat up in his lounge chair. "They have broken into this district without permission, and reached our true home beneath the surface world."

"If you allow them to leave, they will no doubt tell others what they saw here," Kida argued. "So they cannot go, unless we're sure they won't say anything."

"Then you should have killed them when you had the chance," Kida's father claimed.

"But Father, their deaths will only bring more attention to us. Perhaps if you gave them a chance, they may be able to help us."

"We do not need their help."

"Oh, Father—

"Enough, Kida! We will speak about this later."

"Your majesty," said the middle-aged man, stepping forward. "I mean, assuming you're the District Head of Atlantis, I must say it is an honor to be welcomed into this city."

"_Excuse me, Commander Rourke,_" Milo whispered out loud to the middle-aged man.

"What makes you think you are welcome here?" Kida's father asked, now speaking English.

"Sir, we've come a long way," the middle-aged man named Rourke claimed. "Our benefactor, Preston Whitmore, is a very rich man in Washington, D.C., who sent us here to—

"I know what you seek," Kida's father interrupted. "And you will not find it here. Your journey has been in vain."

"But we are peaceful explorers, men of science," Rourke claimed.

Kida's father chuckled. "And yet you bring weapons."

"Our weapons allow us to remove…obstacles we may encounter," replied Rourke.

"Some obstacles cannot be removed," Kida's father declared standing with the aid of his staff. "Return to your people. You must leave Atlantis…at once!"

"Please, be reasonable," Rourke pleaded. Then Milo whispered something to him and Rourke paused. "May I respectfully request that we speak to the city's Mayor about this, sir? Surely, we can work something out that'll allow us to get what we want and satisfy your people's desire for privacy regarding this district."

Grumbling, Kida's father said, "Very well. You shall stay the night here, and I will speak to the Mayor about your offer. That is all."

"Thank you," Rourke bowed and turned away.

While the others followed him, Milo looked back at Kida who sighed as the double doors closed behind him and the others.

"Your heart has softened, Kida," Kida's father remarked, still speaking in English. "A thousand years ago, you would have slain them."

"A thousand years ago the streets were lit!" Kida snapped, also in English, walking towards her father who was lying back down on the lounge chair. "And our people did not have to scavenge for food at the edge of a crumbling city, let alone look for jobs above ground!"

"The people are content," Kida's father claimed.

"They do not know any better! We were once a great people and now we live in ruins!" Kida took a clean cloth, dipped it in water, and rubbed it against her father's forehead. "The Kings of our past would weep if they could see how far we have fallen."

"Kida…"

"If these outsiders can unlock the secrets of our past, perhaps we can save our future."

"What they have to teach us…we have already learned."

"Our way of life is dying!"

"No, our way of life is preserved." Kida's father paused and then said, "Kida, when you take the throne you will understand."

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4: Almost There

Chapter 4: Almost There

"Tiana! Tiana!"

Hearing her name being called, a teenage girl of African-American descent briefly turned away from her locker. She had dark eyes and curly brown hair tied into a downward ponytail with a weary but caring expression on her face. While her Disney Academy uniform looked used at a glance, a few stitches here and there made it almost seem brand-new which was largely thanks to her mother's expert sewing skills as a professional dressmaker. To her right came running another girl who was wearing a well-kept Disney Academy uniform and carrying a pink purse with rosy skin short blonde hair blue eyes a small nose and a big grin on her face.

"What is it, Charlotte?" Asked the African-American girl.

"Oh, please, call me Lottie!" The blonde-haired girl insisted, speaking in a Southern accent. "We agreed on that since we were kids, remember?"

"Right," Tiana shook her head. "Sorry about that…"

"What're you apologizing for?" Charlotte asked, looking confused.

"I'm just a little tired is all," Tiana explained, turning back to her locker to grab her plain brown bag and purse.

"Still working two jobs?" Charlotte inquired.

"Lottie!" Tiana exclaimed, looking around as she closed her locker. "Don't say that kind of thing out loud. You know students here aren't allowed to have part-time jobs."

"I know, I know," Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. "But anyway, have you read the school paper yet?"

"No, I haven't," replied Tiana.

From her pink purse, Charlotte produced a copy of the school's newspaper called _The Daily Chirp _and thrust it in Tiana's face. On the front page there was a picture of a young man with tan skin light brown hair and hazel eyes grinning in front of a boat that had pulled into the harbor of the city. Above the young man's picture was the headline "Prince Naveen of Maldonia Arrives to Attend Disney Academy".

"Can you believe this?" Charlotte grinned excitedly. "A _real _prince is attending our school! How cool is that?"

"I guess it's neat," Tiana shrugged.

"And he's cute to boot," Charlotte added, hugging the newspaper to her chest. "If I had the chance to marry him, I'd be living like a Princess and live happily ever after which I've always dreamed of since I was a little girl."

"Well, maybe you should try meeting him," Tiana suggested.

"Oh, I don't know," Charlotte sighed. "I've heard he's pretty popular with the girls, so how on Earth would I stand out from the rest of them?"

"I'm not an expert on romance, but my Mama always told me the key to a man's heart is through his stomach," Tiana responded.

Gasping, Charlotte cried, "That's it! Tiana, if you can bake those delicious Beignets of yours and leave them in Naveen's locker with my name attached to them, I will be so grateful to you!"

"I'll see when I get the time for it, being a waitress for two different restaurants and all," Tiana said. "But I'm so close to earning enough money to buy the place where I'll have my own restaurant, which I should have by the time I graduate this spring!"

"Aw, Tiana!" Charlotte hugged Tiana so tightly that she almost lost her footing. "You're the best friend ever!"

###

After school was done for the day, Tiana took the city bus to the downtown area where the two restaurants she worked at were located. On her way to the one of them, she passed by a tall man who was lurking in the shadows of an alleyway. He wore a black suit with a purple shirt underneath and a top hat that had a skull and crossbones on it.

"Care for a tarot reading?" The tall man asked. "Maybe some voodoo, hoodoo, or stuff I haven't even tried, Tiana?"

This made Tiana flinch and look back at the tall man. "How do you know my name?"

The tall man grinned knowingly. "I've got…friends on the other side who tell me things about the people I meet."

Tiana rolled her eyes. "Whatever, creep."

Then as Tiana turned away, she bumped into someone.

"Pardon me, Miss," said a male voice with a foreign accent to it. "I didn't see you there."

Backing up, Tiana saw that the person who spoke was Prince Naveen in the flesh who stood right in front of her wearing a dark green cap and matching vest over a white dress-shirt and tan slacks with brown shoes.

Before Tiana could speak, Naveen pointed at her while holding a ukulele in his other hand. "Are you a Disney Academy student?"

"Uh, how'd you guess?" Tiana responded nervously.

"I recognize the uniform you're wearing, since it's similar to the one I have to wear," Naveen replied. "Now, would you mind telling me how to get to the academy itself? I'm apparently supposed to go there to register for the Spring Semester, but I've lost track of my valet who would've normally taken me himself."

"Sure," Tiana nodded and pointed to the streets behind her with the tall man nowhere in sight. "Just head down that street, take a right, then another, followed by a left, and the Disney Academy will be on your right. Got all that?"

Naveen initially gave a blank stare and then he hid it with a charismatic smile. "Yes, thanks for your help."

Then Naveen took off down the street playing his ukulele to a crowd of people and musicians that followed him. They pushed past Tiana in the process, but she managed to stay upright and enter a diner-style restaurant with an overweight chef cooking food in the kitchen.

"You were almost late, Tiana!" The chef yelled.

"Sorry," Tiana apologized, heading into the back of the restaurant where the kitchen was located. "It won't happen again."

"As soon as you get changed into your work clothes, reheat these dishes that have been sitting here for several minutes too long before bringing them to their respective customers take some orders and make another batch of Beignets while you're at it."

"Okay," Tiana grumbled, changing out of her school uniform in the employee locker-room near the kitchen. "Someday, I won't be working in this dump no more and be my own boss for a change."

"What'd you say?" The chef asked.

"Nothing!" Tiana smiled, emerging from the locker-room wearing a plain yellow dress and white apron over it.

###

_I can't believe I'm actually doing this_, Tiana thought to herself the next day as she carried a tin box with leftover Beignets she made at the restaurant to the locker at school where Naveen had stopped at earlier.

Unfortunately, the locker was blocked by an old man with a balding head of gray hair a round face and an equally large rump.

"Just what do you think you're doing here, Miss?" The old man asked in a British accent, causing Tiana to freeze.

"I'm just here to deliver some Beignets to Naveen, from a secret admirer," Tiana explained.

The old man gave Tiana a suspicious stare. "May I have them, please?"

"Why?" Tiana wondered.

"Being Naveen's personal valet, I, Lawrence, must inspect these Beignets for myself to make sure they are not poisoned," the old man insisted.

"Okay," Tiana said, handing the tin box over to Lawrence. "I'm pretty sure they're not poisoned, though, since I made them."

Lawrence appeared not to hear Tiana as he opened the tin box. He then sniffed the contents and then said, "You may go."

As Tiana walked past Lawrence, she thought she heard munching sounds but chose to ignore it.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5: Mother Knows Best

Chapter 5: Mother Knows Best

While the Festival of Fools came to an unexpected end in a rain shower, it was perfectly sunny in a hidden valley on the Forbidden Mountain outside the city. Here, there was a tower covered in vines with no apparent entrance. At its highest windowsill sat a young girl with long gold-blonde hair and green eyes wearing a pink-and-purple peasant top with a purple knee-length skirt and no shoes. On her shoulder sat a green chameleon that had its tail curled up.

"It's too bad Mother Gothel didn't let me attend the Festival of Fools, Pascal," the girl said to the chameleon. "It sounded like a lot of fun, based on the Disney Academy website's description of it."

An electronic _bing _was heard, causing the girl to head over to a desktop computer inside the tower's living room area. On it, she saw a message from someone named Quasimodo that said, "_Rapunzel, can I talk to you for a minute?_"

So the girl typed, "_Sure._"

"_I went to the Festival of Fools,_" replied Quasimodo.

"_How was it?_" Asked Rapunzel.

Quasimodo paused. "_They crowned me the King of Fools, and I was humiliated. The people threw food at me, while I was tied to a wheel and spun around._"

Rapunzel flinched. "_That's awful! Did anyone try to stop it?_"

"_There was this one girl that helped me, but Frollo yelled at her for some reason. Then the school's security force tried to detain her, but she ran away,_" Quasimodo explained.

"_Did you catch her name?_" Rapunzel inquired.

"_No, I just went back to the school's bell-tower,_" replied Quasimodo.

Just then, a croaky female voice called, "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

"Coming, Mother Gothel!" Rapunzel responded, leaving the desktop computer.

At the windowsill, she looked down and saw a woman standing at the base of the tower wearing a dark red dress and a matching cloak. Her hair was black and curly with hints of gray in it, while her face was pale and weary.

"What are you waiting for?" The woman in the red dress asked. "I'm not getting any younger down here!"

"Just a minute," Rapunzel insisted.

After wrapping her hair on a nearby hook above the windowsill, Rapunzel let it all fall to the ground. The woman known as Gothel then grabbed onto the hair while Rapunzel pulled it up until the woman reached the windowsill.

"My, my," Gothel remarked as she climbed through the windowsill. "You've gotten so strong."

"Thanks, Mother," Rapunzel smiled as Gothel gently rubbed a hand against Rapunzel's cheek.

"So how was your day?" Gothel asked.

"Fairly productive," Rapunzel said. "I did all my homework, got some reading done, baked a few things—

"That's nice," Gothel interrupted. "Now let me see how well you did on your homework."

Then Gothel made her way over to the computer, causing Rapunzel to flinch. "Wait, I haven't—

But before Rapunzel could stop her, Gothel saw the chat with Quasimodo and she glared back at Rapunzel. "You've been talking to Quasimodo again, I see."

"He had a bad time at the Festival of Fools celebration at school today, and wanted to talk," Rapunzel explained.

Sighing, Gothel said, "I wish you wouldn't indulge him, Rapunzel. For all you know, he could be a predator or a thief that wants to cut your hair."

"But he's never invited me to go somewhere with him, and I haven't told him about my hair," Rapunzel responded defensively.

"Yet the risk of those things happening is still possible," Gothel argued. "It's not good to talk to strangers online, when you don't even know what they look like."

Unable to make a comeback, Rapunzel said nothing.

Gothel then sat in a nearby rocking chair, looking more worn out than before. "Now why don't you sing for me? I've had a long day, and could use your soothing words to ease my aching body."

So Rapunzel knelt down in front of Gothel, who picked up her long hair. After taking a deep breath, Rapunzel sang:

_Flower, gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the Fates' design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

As Rapunzel sang, her hair glowed a golden-yellow color which illuminated Gothel's face causing the wrinkles to disappear and the grayness in her own hair to vanish.

"Very good," Gothel smiled, letting go of Rapunzel's hair. "Tonight, I'll make your favorite Hazelnut Soup."

"Um, speaking of which," Rapunzel paused as she got up, clutching her hair nervously. "My eighteenth birthday is coming up in a few months, and you know what that means?"

"What?" Gothel asked.

"That I'll be graduating from Disney Academy afterwards," Rapunzel answered.

"Oh, but you won't be graduating until December."

This caught Rapunzel off-guard. "Since when?"

"I spoke with Principal Disney today," Gothel replied. "And he agreed with me that you could use one extra semester of classes before graduating."

"But I've finished all the classes I need to graduate!" Rapunzel protested. "What more do I have to learn?"

"Are you questioning your own mother?" Gothel frowned deeply. "Because this proves that you are not ready for the real world, which is a scary place filled with monsters and bad people that won't hesitate to hurt you."

"Fine, I'll take one more semester," Rapunzel reluctantly agreed. "Though could you at least take me to see the lights on my birthday?"

"The lights?" Gothel's eyebrow raised slightly before she said, "You mean the stars?"

"No, I'm talking about the ones that appear on my birthday," Rapunzel clarified. "You can see them over that hill out there."

Rapunzel pointed out the windowsill as Gothel looked. There indeed was a lonely green hill, which was outlined in the late afternoon sun.

"What time do these lights appear?" Gothel questioned.

"At night, after the sun goes down," Rapunzel said.

Gothel then walked over to the windowsill, and then closed it putting the living room in darkness except for the light coming in from a window above.

"I'll think about it," Gothel responded. "Will you be a dear and get the fire going while I make the Hazelnut Soup?"

"Of course," Rapunzel nodded and walked over to the fireplace while Gothel went into the kitchen part of the living room.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6: Remember to Smile

Chapter 6: Remember to Smile

Two months later, another school event was held at a large field that had various obstacles set up with bleachers full of people nearby.

"_Ladies and gentlemen!_" The Genie known as Gene Lampman announced, holding a microphone while standing on a podium. "_Welcome to the Women's Equestrian Club competition being hosted by none other than Disney Academy! Today, the two finalists will be squaring off in a one-on-one demonstration of their choosing. For the home team we have Merida DunBroch, who recently transferred from Disney's branch school Pixar Academy and is the daughter of DunBroch Furniture's CEO who's originally from Scotland. Though she may come from a wealthy family, she is quite gifted as a horse rider. So please welcome Merida DunBroch!_"

The crowd wearing Disney Academy colors, which were gold red and black, cheered as a teenage girl entered the filed with long curly red hair blue eyes and wearing a dark green dress. Riding a large Clydesdale horse with a black mane and patches of white, she also carried a large bow in one hand with a quiver of arrows on her back.

"_As for her competition,_" Gene said once the crowd settled down. "_She hails from Warner High School and claims to be descended from a family of Knights that served at the Round Table in King Arthur's court. In fact, her father Sir Lionel Gaunnes serves the English Prime Minister Arthur Camelot who is descended from the original King Arthur. Thus, let me introduce you to Kayley Gaunnes!_"

Though the crowd wearing Disney Academy colors booed, the rest of the people in the bleachers clapped politely as another teenage girl appeared who was riding a tan-colored horse. She had medium brunette hair in a ponytail with her bangs pushed back by a gold headband. Her attire consisted of a purple tunic, a yellow shirt underneath and blue tight pants with brown boots. Instead of a bow and arrow, she carried a spear in one hand.

"_Now, we'll decide who goes first with a coin toss. If it is heads, it'll be Kayley and Merida if it's tails,_" Gene stated, making a coin appear out of thin air before tossing it into the air. Once it landed in his hand, Gene called, "_Tails! Merida goes first!_"

While the Disney crowd cheered, Merida steered her horse towards a dirt lane in the field that had targets set up along the sides on top of a wooden archway and at the very end. She then kicked her horse causing it to trot as she picked up her bow and arrow and placed an arrow into it. Aiming carefully, she managed to hit each target that came up including the one at the end when she made her horse halt. Everyone including the teachers cheered, while Merida smiled at them.

"_Excellent demonstration!_" Gene complimented. "_Kayley will have to do much better if she hopes to beat Merida!_"

So Kayley steered her horse to an adjacent lane that also had a target at the end, but with metal plates strung up. Kicking her horse into a trot, she aimed the spear at the first metal plate and threw it. The spear bounced off the other metal plates and hit the target. Then when Kayley tried to stop her horse, it stopped abruptly causing her to fall off.

While the crowd gasped, Gene flinched. "_Ooh, that's going to cost Kayley a few points despite the amazing accuracy of her spear. We'll be right back with the final score after the medics deal with this._"

As two people carrying a stretcher came onto the field, Merida got off her horse and ran over to Kayley who was struggling to get up.

"Are you all right, Kayley?" Merida asked. "Can you stand?"

"I'm fine," Kayley insisted, stumbling. "It's just a sprained ankle."

Merida then helped Kayley to her feet as the medics lowered the stretcher down. They placed Kayley onto it and walked away while Merida walked back to her horse with a guilty look on her face. But after remembering her mother's advice on smiling during these kinds of events no matter what happened, Merida forced herself to smile even when she was given the Women's Equestrian Junior Cup after all the points had been tallied for her and Kayley's demonstrations.

"That's my wee lassie!"

Surprised, Merida turned around and saw a towering man with a red beard and wearing a turquoise-and-black plaid suit. Next to him stood a woman who was a head shorter than the man, with brunette hair tied into a downward bun and wearing a green business suit and skirt.

"Da," Merida smiled, hugging the big man with the red beard. "I'm so glad you were able to come."

"Well, we thought it would be a good excuse to show you off to the business partners of our company's conglomerate who just arrived today," the woman said, nodding to three men and teenage boys that sat high up in the bleachers. "If you recall, Merida, their names are Dingwall Macintosh and MacGuffin whose sons have been attending Disney Academy with you."

Merida followed her mother's gaze and looked at the three men carefully. While the one on the left wore a green plaid suit and had white frizzy hair, the middle man was skinny with wild black hair and wearing a red plaid suit, then the one on the right had a green-and-red plaid suit on with a sand blond beard. The boys looked oddly similar to their fathers, despite being clearly younger, with the boy on the left having frizzy blond hair while the one in the middle had part of his face covered by wavy black hair and the boy on the right had a round face and short sand blond hair.

"I remember them, Mum," Merida said with slight irritation in her voice and then she noticed something. "Where are Harris, Hubert, and Hamish?"

A sudden cry erupted causing Merida and her parents to look toward a table where refreshments and various foods were assorted. Merida then noticed the sweets that were on the table were gone, and looked to a trio of red-haired little boys carrying several trays while a woman wearing a tan dress and light-brown jacket was chasing after them.

"Ah, Cripe," Merida's father sighed. "The boys have gotten into trouble again."

"Then what are standing there for, Fergus?" Merida's mother said firmly. "Go help Maudie."

Merida's father hesitated. "But Elinor—

"Please do it!" Merida's mother insisted. "I need to talk with Merida privately anyway."

"All right," Merida's father replied and ran to catch up with the woman who was chasing after the boys despite limping while using a wooden cane for balance.

"You shouldn't push Da like that," Merida objected. "He can't run very far with that false leg of his, not after what happened with Mor'du."

"There is no need to mention that accursed bear in my presence, Merida," Merida's mother scolded. But seeing Merida looking startled, her mother calmed down and said, "I'm sorry about that. It's been a long day for me and your father, having to pick up our business partners at the airport and discuss some important matters including you."

"Why is that?" Merida asked.

"Because now that you've turned sixteen, it's traditional in our family to choose someone to marry who is of the same class," Merida's mother explained. "But since we didn't want to rush you into an engagement with someone you didn't know, our business partners had their sons attend Disney Academy so you'd get to know them better."

"As potential suitors?" Merida couldn't believe what she heard. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was worried you wouldn't react too well to the news, and not attend Disney Academy altogether," Merida's mother said. "Now with that said, we are going on a trip to our family's ancestral castle in Scotland this summer so the sons of our business partners can partake in a series of games to compete for your hand in marriage."

"But…I'm only sixteen," Merida pointed out. "Most people don't get engaged till they're out of high school these days, even after college."

"Listen, Merida," Merida's mother insisted, pulling Merida closer to her. "I had to go through this at your age too. It was frightening for me at first, but I met a wonderful husband and had four beautiful children including yourself. Isn't that worth it?"

Merida looked away, staring off at her horse who seemed confused.

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7: For the First Time in Forever

Chapter 7: For the First Time in Forever

Following the Women's Equestrian Club competition, a new week began with the sun rising on a typical Monday. But within a large house that lay at the foot of the mountains and next to the river that snaked its way through the city further south, a young girl was walking down an empty hallway wearing the Disney Academy girls uniform and carrying a leather bag. She had strawberry-colored hair tied into braids with one blonde streak in it and turquoise-blue eyes. Upon reaching a white door with a snowflake pattern on it, she knocked.

"Elsa," the girl muttered. "I'm heading to school now."

There was no sound from the other side.

"I know you're in there," the girl claimed. When no response came, she said, "Are you nervous about my upcoming graduation from Disney Academy, or the party to celebrate your becoming the CEO of our family's refrigeration company now that you've come of age to inherit it?"

Again, no response came.

"They say have courage — at least, that's what the school counselor Willow says," the girl added. "I'm trying to, but I also want to make it clear that I'm here for you. After all, it's just the two of us following—

"_You should get going, Anna,_" said a female voice on the other side.

"Okay," the girl replied, lowering her head. "Bye…"

Leaving the white door, the girl Anna made her way down a flight of stairs where she was escorted to a private riverboat that took her down to the city. From there, she took the school bus straight to Disney Academy and put on a happy smile for every person she greeted inside.

"Hi, Ariel!" Anna said to a teenage girl with long red hair. "How are things going between you and Eric?"

"Oh, pretty well," the girl with red hair responded. "We're actually planning to get married after we graduate, and all I can think of is what the name of our first child will be."

"Well, good luck with that," Anna said before walking past Esmeralda. "Hey, I didn't get to tell you this earlier but I really liked your dance at the Festival of Fools — except for that last part."

"Yeah," Esmeralda frowned. "I wasn't expecting the crowd to suddenly torture that poor boy, and Frollo's attempt to arrest me for interfering wasn't liked by the city press who pegged it as another sign of the growing bigotry against Romani."

Unsure of what to say, Anna said, "Have you thought about apologizing to the boy?"

"Of course I have," Esmeralda insisted. "The only problem is I can't find him, and I certainly don't want to ask Frollo about it."

"I thought I heard someone in the crowd claim the boy was the fabled 'Hunchbacked bell-ringer of the Disney Clock Tower,'" Anna recalled. "Maybe he's in there."

Esmeralda paused. "I'm not one to believe in school legends, but I have no other leads."

Then the bell suddenly rang, forcing Anna to leave Esmeralda and head down a perpendicular hall to her first class. However, she ended up bumping into someone and backed away so suddenly that she ended up falling on her rear.

"My apologies," said a young male voice that came up from above Anna. "Are you hurt?"

Holding her aching head, Anna looked up and saw a teenage boy standing above her wearing the male uniform for Disney Academy. But what drew Anna's attention more was his short auburn hair and soothing green eyes.

"I'm all right," Anna insisted, and upon realizing her knees were up she immediately closed them. "You didn't see anything, did you?"

"No," the auburn-haired boy said as he shook his head.

"Oh, good," Anna sighed and slowly got to her feet. "Because as much as I love the Disney Academy uniform, I think the skirt is a little too short for—

Someone pushed behind Anna, causing her to collide into the auburn-haired boy again. Fortunately, he caught her and the two stared awkwardly into each other's eyes.

As her cheeks flushed red, Anna said, "Um, you can let go of me."

"Oh, right," the auburn-haired boy flinched and let go of Anna's arms. "Sorry…"

"No, it's fine," Anna claimed. "I should go."

Then before the auburn-haired boy could respond, Anna walked past him and entered Mythical Creatures Class which was taught by a small male Fairy named Eidilleg.

"Ah, Anna Arendelle," Eidilleg remarked, looking down at his attendance sheet while flying midair. "Glad you could join us for today, despite almost being late."

"Sorry, Mr. Eidilleg," Anna apologized, sitting down next to Merida. "It won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it," Eidilleg claimed. "Since you're one of my better students, I'll let this slide. Now today, class, we're going to be discussing Trolls."

Though Anna tried to pay attention to the lesson, she found herself thinking back to that auburn-haired boy and genuinely smiled.

_For the first time in forever, I'm actually happy about something instead of pretending to for the sake of others_, Anna thought.

After class ended, Anna noticed Merida looking upset and walked beside her.

"Is something wrong?" When Merida didn't say anything, Anna looked away. "But I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"My Mum is making me get engaged to one of my Da's business partners' sons, depending on whoever wins a series of games they have to compete in," Merida murmured.

"Oh, wow," Anna remarked. "Are these sons Disney Academy students?"

"Yeah," Merida replied. "Do the names Dingwall, Macintosh, and MacGuffin ring a bell?"

"The guys who signed up for every sports class despite the school only allowing students to sign up for two to three each semester?"

"Same ones…"

As the classroom for Anna's next class came up, she answered, "Well, I could check these guys out and see if I could at least take one of them off your hand."

"How?"

"By…dating them so they'd be less interested in you."

Merida's brows widened. "You don't have to go that far for me."

"It's not an actual commitment," Anna corrected. "I'll just see if any of them are attractive, and take it from there."

"Um, thanks, I guess," replied Merida.

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8: Know the Way

Chapter 8: Know the Way

While Anna was watching Merida's possible suitors from a distance during lunch period, there was some activity going on in the school's pool area. After the previous Swimming instructor Mrs. Ursula vanished, it was revealed that she was a Sea Witch by Ariel who was tricked into temporarily giving up her voice as part of an elaborate scheme to get ahold of a magic trident that Ariel's father had. So a new instructor was called in to replace Mrs. Ursula by the name of Nani Pelekai, and with her came a new student named Moana Motunui.

From an island that her surname was derived from, Moana's main features included her curly brunette hair tan skin and determined-looking eyes. Instead of her Disney Academy uniform, she currently wore a two-piece orange bathing suit that she had bought for herself and was swimming laps in the pool while Kida timed her wearing the Disney Academy's standard golden one-piece bathing suit. Nearby, Nani surveyed the entire pool area from a small lifeguard tower though she was always checking her phone in case any trouble came up with her younger sister Lilo which frequently happened. Once Kida stopped the timer, Moana had reached the end of the lane and surfaced.

"Excellent timing!" Kida smiled. "You're almost as fast as Ariel."

"Yeah, but she's a Mermaid," Moana pointed out between breaths.

"Not anymore, though," Kida said. "Apparently, her father managed to give her permanent legs with his trident so now she's fully human."

"Well, that's nice I guess," Moana remarked, climbing out of the pool. "Though I wish I was born a Mermaid."

This made Kida raise an eyebrow. "How come?"

Resting on the edge of the pool with her feet partially submerged, Moana responded, "I've always had a strong connection to the ocean, though I can't explain why. Like, my Gramma told me that the ocean moved on its own when I was living on Motunui Island as a baby."

"But the ocean moves all the time," Kida replied.

"I know, though my Gramma said the tides of the ocean moved outward from Motunui's shores instead of inward when I was walking along the sand," Moana explained. "Apparently, the ocean wanted to show me something before my father picked me up. You probably think I'm crazy, right?"

"Not at all," Kida assured. "I…had a strange experience when I was a child too."

"Like what?"

Before Kida could answer, the warning bell rang to alert everyone that lunch period was ending soon. So Moana and Kida left the pool to quickly shower and get dressed in their school uniforms.

"Now why don't you consider joining the school Swim Team?" Kida suggested as she and Moana walked out of the locker-room area fully dressed. "You're clearly a talented swimmer, and with Ariel graduating soon we could use another member."

In response, Moana sighed. "As much as I would love to, I don't think my father would approve. He never wanted me to go near the ocean back on Motunui, though that didn't stop me from leaving to attend Disney Academy. But he made me promise not to get involved in any water-related extracurricular activities including Swimming, and not go out to sea for any reason."

"Did he say why?" Kida asked.

"He said it was for my own protection, but I'm not sure if I believe him. He could be letting my Gramma's old stories about demons in the ocean spook him, and a spreading darkness from something called Te Kā."

Kida looked down at her crystal for a moment. "I wouldn't completely dismiss the idea of ocean demons. After all, Mrs. Ursula was a Sea Witch."

"Witches and demons aren't the same thing, though," Moana claimed, when she heard her cellphone vibrating. Reluctantly, she picked up her phone and answered. "Hello?"

"_Moana…_" replied an older female voice on the other end.

"What is it, mother?" Moana asked. "You sound sad."

"_Gramma…_" Moana's mother said slowly. "_She…passed away last night._"

###

Because Moana was emotionally distraught over the news of her grandmother's death, she was allowed to take the rest of the school day off with Nani supporting the notion having lost her parents not too long ago. So Moana went back to her one-room apartment where her pet chicken Heihei sat in his cage and attempted to arrange a flight back to Motunui. Unfortunately, there weren't any flights available until next week which upset Moana even more. Then she went to check her mailbox and noticed an envelope addressed from her grandmother. Opening it, she found a letter but also a blue necklace inside.

_Dear Moana,_

_I sense that my time is coming to an end soon. Hopefully, I will come back as a manta ray spirit or else I got the wrong tattoo. But before I leave this world, there is something you must know. The Island of Motunui is dying, with crops drying up fish disappearing and strange black marks appearing along the shores. Your father doesn't know what to make of it, but I know it is a sign of the growing darkness spread by the demon Te Kā. There is a way to stop this, though, and you are the only one who can do it. _

_Remember that time when you were a baby, when the ocean tried to show you something? It was showing you the Heart of Te Fiti, which I kept inside the necklace after you dropped it accidentally on the beach. You must find the demigod Maui, who stole the heart from Te Fiti long ago, and strongly persuade him to take it back to her. Follow the star pattern shaped like a hook to its bottom, and that's where Maui will be. Make the ocean proud, for it chose you to fulfill this task, and may our ancestors guide you as they were sea-faring voyagers before they settled on the Island of Motunui._

_Forever yours,_

_Gramma Tala_

Putting the letter down, Moana examined the blue necklace till she noticed the central part had a locket which opened up revealing a green pounamu stone with a swirl carved in the middle. Yet what surprised Moana more was that it seemed to glow in her hand. She then walked over to the window just as the stars were coming out and saw a hook-shaped constellation on the horizon.

"Don't worry, Gramma," Moana muttered, clenching the stone tightly. "I'll find Maui, then pull on his ear and say, 'I am Moana of Motunui and I demand that you return the Heart of Te Fiti!'"

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9: The Outcasts

Chapter 9: The Outcasts

As Moana was leaving school following the news of her grandmother's death, Esmeralda was approaching the Clock Tower which was located in the middle of Disney Academy's courtyard. However, she heard footsteps behind her and Djali. She turned around fast and reached for the person's side causing them to fall to the ground in surprise. What she grabbed was an expandable baton, which policemen usually carried, and looked down at the person who tripped. It was a young man with short blond hair and a matching goatee wearing the male Disney Academy uniform and a navy blue jacket.

"Who are you?" Esmeralda demanded, flicking her wrist which expanded the baton to its full length and pointed it at the young man.

"Easy, easy, I-I just shaved," the young man stammered as he backed away.

"Oh, really? Your skin is that sensitive?" Esmeralda taunted, poking the tip of the baton at the young man's chin.

"You know threatening a Hall Monitor could land you in Detention, right?" The young man pointed out.

Indeed, the young man wore a yellow band diagonally across his chest with the word 'Hall Monitor' stitched in red lettering.

"That doesn't explain why you have this baton, though," Esmeralda responded.

"It's for my protection." When Esmeralda gave him a doubtful look, the young man sighed. "Okay, School Secretary Frollo convinced Principal Disney that Hall Monitors should carry batons from now on to prevent another Festival of Fools-type incident from happening again."

"Seems like an extreme measure, given that this is a school and not a military state."

"Well, you did cause quite a ruckus."

"So what was I supposed to do? Let the crowd torture that poor boy?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Grabbing the end of the baton, the young man got up. "Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Phoebus, and I'm the lead Hall Monitor at Disney Academy. I was also the one who saved you from those guys who were harassing you on the streets. Now what's your name?"

Realizing the young man was trying to change the subject, Esmeralda decided to humor him. "It's Esmeralda."

Phoebus grinned. "A beautiful name."

Giving him a coy look, Esmeralda asked, "So why were you following me just now?"

"Excuse me," said a deep elderly voice. "Is there a problem with that Gypsy girl, Phoebus?"

Looking over Phoebus' shoulder, Esmeralda saw Frollo standing a few feet away wearing the same black suit he wore at the Festival of Fools.

When Phoebus followed Esmeralda's stare, he looked back at Esmeralda with a concerned look and whispered, "_Claim you attacked me in self-defense._"

Esmeralda frowned.

"_Please,_" Phoebus pleaded.

"You tricked me into attacking you," Esmeralda realized.

"I'm waiting for your response, Phoebus," Frollo stated, walking over.

"She attacked me in self-defense," Phoebus claimed, taking the baton from Esmeralda's hand. "I thought she looked suspicious, so I followed her. But she's actually a student here, so my suspicions were wrong."

"Then take her to her next class, then," Frollo ordered. "Lunch period is over, and give her a detention slip for attacking a Hall Monitor."

"But, sir, it was my fault that she attacked me," Phoebus said defensively. "I snuck up on her without her knowing, and she naturally reacted by defending herself."

"I don't want any of your excuses, Phoebus," Frollo growled. "I'll escort the Gypsy girl to her next class myself."

Before she could protest, Esmeralda's arm was grabbed by Frollo as he dragged her away from the Clock Tower towards the main school building. He then took her into a niche and pressed her against a wall. Meanwhile, Djali attempted head-butting Frollo's leg, but he didn't budge.

"You must have used your charms to persuade Phoebus to claim self-defense, when it was I who told him to follow you," Frollo said into Esmeralda's ear softly.

"Why are you telling me this?" Esmeralda asked, wrenching out of Frollo's grasp and turning to face him.

"Because I have greater authority than you, Witch," Frollo stated. "That little stunt you pulled at the Festival of Fools may have gotten the city press on your side, but next time I'll make sure they won't see you or any other Gypsies in a sympathetic light again."

Smiling maliciously, Frollo left the niche causing Esmeralda to collapse from shock. Just as she was on the verge of tears, she looked to her right and noticed a statue in the deepest part of the niche. It was a woman wearing a long dress with gossamer wings behind her back while she held a wand that had a shining star on it in one hand and in the other was a small puppet resembling a human boy.

"The Blue Fairy, and Pinocchio," Esmeralda realized.

Crawling over to the statue, she knelt in front of it and laced her hands together.

"I don't know if you can hear me, or if you're even there," Esmeralda said quietly. "I'm not sure if you would listen to a Gypsy's prayer, since I am an outcast. But please, help my people and those less fortunate than I."

Esmeralda then closed her eyes, while Djali nuzzled his face against her face in comfort. After a few moments, Esmeralda hugged Djali who suddenly bleated. Looking back, she noticed the hunchbacked boy from the Festival of Fools lurking at the entry to the niche who looked surprised and ran away.

"Wait!" Esmeralda called, getting up.

With Djali running alongside her, she followed the hunchbacked boy towards the Clock Tower which he got into using a hidden entrance. Before he could close it, though, Esmeralda got in along with Djali. The hunchbacked boy then ran up a winding staircase, so Esmeralda followed.

"I've been looking all over campus for you," Esmeralda said.

"W-Why?" The hunchbacked boy stammered, retreating to the top of the tower. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"I wanted to apologize for dragging you onstage at the Festival of Fools," Esmeralda replied.

Upon reaching the top, though, she was amazed by the sight of a room filled with trinkets including a scale replica of the school with little figurines placed all over it.

"What is this?" Esmeralda wondered.

"This is where I live," the hunchbacked boy replied. "I'm Quasimodo, the 'Hunchbacked Bell-Ringer of the Disney Clock Tower.'"

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10: Zero to Hero

Chapter 10: Zero to Hero

Following Meg's discussion with Hades, she was told to keep an eye on Hercules by attending Disney Academy again though she was expelled a few years ago for not abiding to the dress-code. Yet she was able to convince Principal Disney that she had learned the error of her ways and agreed to wear the girls' uniform despite never being fond of it. She didn't try to make friends with anyone at the school, though some students like Anna certainly tried to befriend her, and she avoided Hercules' companions Phil and Pegasus when they came to pick up Hercules from school. Though towards the end of Spring Semester, Meg found out that Hercules wasn't doing well on his grades as he kept skipping school to find something heroic to do in the city and was always being shrugged off by people.

"If I wanted a Hero I would want a professional, _not _an amateur!" A plump middle-aged woman with a pointy nose said as she walked past Hercules on the street while Meg watched from a nearby alley.

"He's just another chariot chaser, reckless and full of himself," added a big man with medium black hair and a chin-beard who walked alongside the woman. "Reminds me of Achilles, who looked tough until that weak point on his foot killed him. Who's your mentor?"

"Um, Philoctetes," Hercules answered reluctantly.

"See? He's not worth our time if he was taught by that Satyr who mentored Achilles," the big man said and walked away with the plump woman further down the street.

Sighing, Hercules slid down against the wall and sat on the sidewalk. Before Meg could approach him, though, Phil showed up along with Pegasus.

"What're you doing here, kid?" Phil asked, looking annoyed. "You should be at school."

"I know, Phil, but I thought looking for heroic deeds to do in the city might get me closer to becoming a true Hero," Hercules explained. "Yet no matter how many people I ask, nobody wants my help."

This made Phil frown and pat Hercules on the shoulder. "You'll get your chance, kid. These people don't know they need a Hero, unless something big and devastating happens."

Remembering Hades' plan, Meg stepped out of the alley and pretended to look winded. "Hercules…"

"What's wrong, Meg?" Hercules asked, getting to his feet. "And why are you wearing the Disney Academy uniform?"

"After I met you, I started attending Disney Academy but that's not important," Meg answered. "These kids, they were playing in the gorge south of town but then this rockslide happened and now they're trapped inside this cave."

The people standing nearby looked at Meg in surprise, including the plump woman and the big guy who didn't get very far.

"Kids…trapped!" Hercules' eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Phil, this is great!"

Meg frowned. "You're really choked up about this, aren't you?"

"We'll use Pegasus to get there," Hercules said, and grabbed Meg's hand. "You can show me where the gorge is, right?"

"Yes, but I've never flown a Pegasus in my life!" As soon as Meg was placed on Pegasus in front of Hercules, the winged horse took off without warning causing Meg to scream.

With the wind blowing her hair all around, Meg yelled out the directions with her eyes closed as the horse continued flying swiftly in a south direction neighing mischievously. Once they got close to the gorge, Hercules helped Meg off as she was still reeling from the thrilling ride.

"You okay?" Hercules said out of concern.

"Don't ask me to fly your crazy horse again," Meg responded, causing Pegasus to glare at her.

Ignoring it, she sat down on a nearby rock and saw a boulder at the bottom of the gorge where children's cries were coming from.

"Not to worry," Hercules insisted, looking down at the boulder as well. "I'll get the kids out in no time!"

While Hercules climbed into the gorge, Meg walked away from Pegasus who was busy watching Hercules out of concern. She eventually found Hades sitting in a chair of his own creation inside a rocky outcrop that offered a great view of the gorge and at his feet were two young boys with blond and brown hair.

"Well, done, boys," Hades said to them. "You fooled Hercules."

"It was largely due to my whimpering being the loudest," said the blond-haired boy who transformed into Panic.

"Actually, it was because I looked the cutest," replied the brown-haired boy who became Pain.

Meg looked back down in the gorge and saw that Hercules had moved the boulder that was blocking the cave while a crowd of spectators watched him.

"Get out while you still can," Meg said quietly in Hercules' direction.

Just then, a menacing roar came from the cave much to Hercules' and the crowd's surprise. A pair of snake-like eyes appeared, then a long serpentine neck followed by a four-legged body with sharp claws.

"It took me a while to find the Hydra, but he was much closer than I thought," Hades said loud enough for Meg to hear. "Now, let's get ready to rumble!"

Down below, Hercules took out his sword which he carried in a baseball bat bag instead of a scabbard and avoided the Hydra's fang-ridden mouth. Then in an instant, the Hydra swallowed Hercules only for him to cut its head off from the inside. While the crowd cheered, Hades only grinned making Meg nervous. A few seconds later, three heads sprouted from the Hydra's body forcing Hercules to swing at them again. Yet no matter how many heads he cut off with Pegasus' assistance, more grew in their place till he was staring at dozens of heads. Though they managed to pin him against the side of the gorge, he used his brute strength to create another rockslide which crushed the Hydra completely and seemingly Hercules along with it.

"Game…set…match," Hades stated, lighting a cigar for himself.

Then just as rain that was pouring down intensified, something wriggled inside the Hydra's remaining claw and pushed them out revealing it to be Hercules. While the crowd went wild, Hades burned through his cigar in anger.

"Guess I didn't need to worry after all," Meg remarked as she genuinely smiled down at Hercules. "You did a good job, Wonder Boy."

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11: A Bright Light

Chapter 11: A Bright Light

After Kida's father talked to the Mayor of the city, it was decided that Whitmore's expedition group would not only be allowed to stay in Atlantis for one year but also be integrated into Disney Academy's student body and staff to be watched closely. While Commander Rourke became the school's new gym teacher, he was assisted by the blonde-haired woman Helga and the elderly man with the Western drawl who was called Cookie became the assistant cook with the tall African-American man known as Sweet becoming the school's official doctor though that didn't undermine the authority of the resident nurse Mary. Other members included the man with the funny goggles, who was nicknamed Mole, being made the school janitor while a skinny man called Vinny took care of the school's flower gardens and an old woman named Packard was put in charge of the school's PA system.

Milo, meanwhile, became part of the Sophomore class which Kida was in alongside the Hispanic girl who was named Audrey. This in turn tempted Kida to ask Milo some questions, but there was no way to ask him during school. So one day after the last bell rang, Kida decided to sneak up on Milo and grab him from behind with her hand covering his mouth.

"I have some questions for you and you're not leaving this city until they are answered," Kida said coyly.

As Kida loosened her grip, Milo spoke, "Yeah, well, I—

"Shh!" Kida insisted, clamping Milo's mouth shut. "Come with me."

Kida then dragged Milo towards the school's greenhouse, which included not only various exotic plants but also an artificial waterfall with a pond filled with large koi fish.

"Oh, there is so much to ask about your world," Kida mused after letting Milo go. "You're a scholar, clearly since you're suited for nothing else. How did you—

"Actually, I have some questions too," Milo interrupted. "So why don't I ask a question, and you ask one, then…well, you get the idea."

Initially annoyed, Kida sighed. "Very well. What is your first question?"

"Um, how did you get here?" Milo said, then he corrected, "I mean, not you personally but your culture — how did the continent of Atlantis…end up below us?"

"It is said that the Gods became jealous of Atlantis," Kida began, walking away from Milo. "They sent great cataclysms and banished us down into the earth. All I can remember is the sky growing dark and…people shouting and running. Then a bright light, like a star, floated above the city. My father said it called my mother, and I never saw her again."

"I'm sorry," Milo apologized, causing Kida to look back at him. "If it's any consultation, I lost my — wait a minute! Whoa, back up! What are you telling me? You remember what happened to Atlantis because you were there? That's impossible! That would make you 85-8800 years old!"

"Yes," Kida answered casually, relieved at not having to lie about her age for once.

Milo's confused expression lingered and then he hid it with a slight grin. "Hey, um, looking good! Um, please forgive me…did you have a question?"

"How was it you found your way to my home?" Kida asked.

"Well, I tell you it wasn't easy," Milo admitted as he reached into his school bag. "If it weren't for this book, we never would've made it."

From his bag, Milo pulled out a leather-bound book with metallic borders a gold scroll-like spine and a swirl design on the cover. Intrigued, Kida took the book from Milo's hand and started flipping through its delicate yet sturdy pages.

"What is this?" Kida wondered.

"It's called the _Shepherd's Journal_," Milo answered. "Supposedly, it was written by a man named Aziz who actually journeyed to Atlantis and wrote about his experiences. Well, eventually, this journal made its way to Iceland where it was found by my late grandfather Thaddeus Thatch in an expedition funded by Mr. Whitmore who was his friend."

As she was flipping through the pages, Kida came across one page depicting a group of stones floating around a mysterious light.

"Okay, second question," Milo continued. "Legend has it that your people possess a power source of some kind—

"Can you…understand this?" Kida abruptly asked, looking at the words below the image.

"I study dead languages as a hobby," Milo stated. "Actually, I hope to become a linguist—

"This! Right here!" Kida snapped, showing the page to Milo. "You can read this?"

"Yes, yes, I can read Atlantean just like you," Milo insisted.

Embarrassed, Kida looked back at the page.

Milo's eyes widened. "You…can't, can you?"

"No one can," Kida replied. "Such knowledge has been lost since the time of the Great Flood. Can you show me?"

Kida handed the journal back to Milo, who proceeded to read a passage from it. As she listened to the words, Kida started to translate them out loud, "'Follow the narrow passage to another lead, and there you will find the fifth marker…'"

"Yeah, that's it," Milo smiled. "How did you do that?"

Unsure of how to answer, Kida grabbed Milo's shirt. "Here, let me show you something."

Kida then took him over to a large tarp that was on the roof at the back of the greenhouse. She unveiled it, revealing a metallic device that resembled a fish with a cockpit and dashboard inside while intricate carvings covered the thing.

"Looks like…some sort of vehicle," Milo remarked, inspecting the device closely.

"Yes, but no matter what I try it will not respond," Kida said irritably. "Perhaps if you—

"All right, let me take a look," Milo stated, looking at some words carved into the dashboard which also had a slot in it shaped like a crystal. "Okay, 'Place crystal into slot.'"

"Done that," Kida responded.

"'Gently place your hand on the inscription pad,'" Milo recited.

"I did that too," Kida said, pacing back and forth.

"Did you turn the crystal half-right and a quarter back?" Milo asked.

"Yes!"

"While your hand was on the inscription pad?"

"No."

"Well, seems like an easy thing to overlook." When Kida gave him an annoyed look, Milo responded, "Okay, let's give it a try."

Taking the crystal off her neck, Kida placed it into the slot with her hand on the pad with the inscriptions around it on the dashboard. She turned the crystal half-right and a quarter back, which caused the pad to glow a light-blue color. Then to her and Milo's surprise, the fish-shaped vehicle's eyes glowed blue along with the carvings as it levitated a few feet off the ground.

"T-This is great!" Milo said excitedly. "I wonder how fast it goes…"

As Milo pressed the pad, the fish-shaped vehicle took off in a flash flying in circles around the school's rooftops before flying right over them forcing Kida and Milo to duck. Looking up, they saw the vehicle had crashed into a shed near the football field.

"So, who's hungry?" Milo joked, causing Kida to glare at him for the bad joke.

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12: Just One Kiss

Chapter 12: Just One Kiss

The weekend before Mardi Gras, Tiana went to the place where her future restaurant was going to be which was at an abandoned sugar mill along the river. Having obtained a key from the Fenner Brothers, who were the real estate agents that managed the property, she went inside along with her mother.

"Isn't it grand, Mama?" Tiana remarked, staring at the empty space in front of her that included a second-story railing and a shoddy roof.

"It's…a fixer-upper to be sure, but I think you'll manage it just fine," Tiana's mother said encouragingly. "Your Daddy would be so proud of you."

"If only he didn't die overseas," Tiana replied, looking sad.

"He was serving our country," Tiana's mother reminded her. "And that is a great honor despite what happened to him."

"But before that, he had a steady job in this sugar mill," Tiana recalled. "Sure, he had to work long hours everyday with little to no benefits but it was something. Then this place shut down—

"Don't linger on the past, Tiana," Tiana's mother interrupted, squeezing her daughter's hand tightly. "Think about the future, and your own happiness."

Smiling, Tiana put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "When I'm running my own restaurant, and you're no longer having to work all the time as a dressmaker, then I'll be happy."

"Just don't forget to think about yourself," Tiana's mother mentioned. "Apart from Charlotte, you haven't made any friends at school nor had time to date anybody."

Sighing, Tiana said, "I don't have time for friends when I'm working two part-time jobs, and I don't need a man in my life. Maybe later when my restaurant's successful…"

###

"Ooh, that Prince Naveen's playing hard to get!" Charlotte complained to Tiana during lunch at school the following day.

"Why do you say that?" Tiana asked.

"Have you been giving him the Beignets I asked you to give him?"

"Yes, but Naveen's valet Lawrence insists on taking them for himself to check if they're poisoned," Tiana answered, hesitating to tell Charlotte about her theory that Lawrence was secretly eating the Beignets meant for Naveen.

"That's absurd," Charlotte remarked. "But I guess that's something valets do. There must be some way for me to impress him, without having anyone else interfere."

"Well, can't you throw a party for him?" Tiana suggested. "Your father's going to be crowned the King of Mardi Gras by the city again, right?"

"For the fourth straight year, despite people complaining about not having someone from an ethnic minority be elected," Charlotte replied. "But I could persuade my Daddy to throw a masquerade ball to celebrate his upcoming title, and invite Prince Naveen as an honored guest. That way, Naveen will have to pay attention to me and if Daddy approves of him we can get engaged sooner."

"Uh, let's not worry about that yet," Tiana advised. "It's best to focus on the ball first."

"Right," Charlotte nodded, though she kept staring over at Naveen who was playing his ukulele much to the chef's annoyance. "If you could cook a bunch of Beignets for the ball, I could lend you some money to help you pay for your restaurant."

"Oh, you don't have to go that far, Lottie," Tiana insisted.

"Nah, I don't mind," Charlotte replied, taking several hundred dollar bills out of her purse. "And you don't have to pay me back. Just call it a favor from a friend."

Seeing the hundreds of dollars in front of her, Tiana took them and hugged Charlotte. "Thank you, Lottie! This is just what I need for the down payment."

###

Though the Fenner Brothers agreed to talk to Tiana about her bid for the sugar mill, their schedules were so ridiculously busy that she decided to meet with them at the masquerade ball Charlotte's father was hosting. Because her mother was busy making dresses for Mardi Gras, she didn't have time to stitch a costume for Tiana who ended up renting a dark-green medieval dress from a local store.

Hanging out at the catering table serving fruit punch and Beignets, she watched Prince Naveen arrive in a fancy white limo wearing an outfit that reminded her of a prince from a fairytale. Meanwhile, Charlotte was wearing a pink dress that fanned out with her hair tied up in a bun that had a tiara wrapped around it. While some of the student attendees remarked how much Charlotte looked like the mystery girl that appeared at the Fall Semester ball a year and a half ago, Tiana was preoccupied by two men wearing a horse costume with one man dressed as the head while the other was the rear.

"Tiana Chase, I presume," said the tall man wearing the horse's head.

"Are you the Fenner Brothers?" Tiana asked, looking confused.

"That we are," responded the shorter man who wore the horse's rear. "We agreed to discuss your bid for the sugar mill, which you hope to turn into a restaurant."

"Yes," Tiana confirmed, reaching into her dress-pockets. "I've even got the down payment."

"Unfortunately, someone else recently made a higher bid on the mill," the tall man stated. "So unless you have double the amount you're willing to offer…"

"But this is all I have!" Tiana argued. "You told me I had first dibs on the mill, since no one else wanted it."

"Yet you don't have much of a credit history, Miss Chase," the short man pointed out. "Whereas this other client has a much stronger one, plus the money he's willing to offer is quite generous."

Frowning, Tiana clenched the cloth on the catering table instinctively. "Now wait a minute—

As she moved closer to the men, the cups of fruit punch on the table moved with the cloth causing them to spill onto her dress which briefly distracted her. By the time she wiped it as best she could, the Fenner Brothers had disappeared.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked, coming up from behind Tiana. When she noticed the stains on Tiana's dress, she frowned. "Aw, had a little accident? Come up to my room. I'll give you a replacement dress."

Unsure of what to say, Tiana followed Charlotte into the large plantation-style house up a flight of stairs and into a large bedroom she remembered hanging out in when she was a little girl. From a large closet, Charlotte pulled out a thin blue dress with matching gloves and a tiara that was similar to the one she wore.

"Isn't this precious?" Charlotte smiled, handing the dress to Tiana. "I was originally going to wear this for tonight, but I think it'll look better on you. Go ahead and change, while I'll leave you be. Can't keep Prince Naveen waiting too long!"

Then Charlotte left as quickly as she came, leaving Tiana to change into the new dress all by herself. Though it did look good on her, as the large mirror in Charlotte's room attested, this didn't make Tiana feel any better about her situation. So she went out onto the balcony and stared up at the moon which had a bright star next to it. This was what her mother referred to as a Wishing Star, which supposedly could fulfill any wish. Turning away from it, Tiana spotted a green frog sitting on the balcony railing.

"How did you get up here?" Tiana wondered out loud.

"Well, it wasn't easy but I managed," said a male voice with a foreign accent that escaped from the frog's mouth.

Surprised by this, Tiana shrieked and backed away. "You can talk?"

"Of course I can," the frog replied, standing on its two feet. "I am Prince Naveen of Maldonia."

"You can't be," Tiana objected. "Weren't you just dancing with Charlotte not too long ago?"

"That was an imposter of me," the frog claiming to be Naveen stated. "Recently, my valet Lawrence and I made a shady deal with a voodoo man named Doctor Facilier where he turned me into a frog and made Lawrence look like me. Fortunately, I escaped and have been looking for someone who can break my curse."

"And who would that be?" Tiana asked.

"A Princess who could kiss me and turn me back into a Prince," Naveen claimed. When Tiana looked doubtful, he said pleadingly, "Please, all I ask for is just one kiss."

"'Just one kiss'?" As Naveen nodded, Tiana sighed. "All right, I'll do it. But if you really are a Prince…will you help me pay for a sugar mill that I want to turn into a restaurant?"

"Absolutely!" Naveen grinned. "Now kiss me."

Closing her eyes, Tiana put her lips against the frog's forehead.

End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13: The Smolder

Chapter 13: The Smolder

As Rapunzel's birthday drew close, she was feeling less enthusiastic about it due to the fact that she wouldn't be graduating in May. So she talked to Quasimodo about it over the computer while Mother Gothel wasn't looking, and all he had to say was to give Gothel the benefit of the doubt. However, Quasimodo did reveal he had started hanging out with the girl who helped him during the Festival of Fools. Her name was Esmeralda and she was Romani, whom Quasimodo's guardian Frollo believed were evil.

"_Sounds like Frollo's a bigot,_" Rapunzel typed. "_You shouldn't listen to him._"

"_I know, but he's the closest thing I have to a parent after my mother died,_" Quasimodo replied.

Before Rapunzel could reply, she heard footsteps. Realizing it was someone scaling the tower, she grabbed a frying pan from the kitchen and pressed her back against the wall near the window. As the steps got closer, her body tensed up and she held the frying pan in a defensive position.

Through the window tumbled a person wearing a turquoise hoodie and tan sweatpants. They then noticed Rapunzel's long hair trailing in front of them and along the rafters. Cursing herself, Rapunzel advanced upon them and hit them on the back of the head with the frying pan before they could touch her hair. When they didn't get up, Rapunzel lowered her frying pan and turned the person over. It was a teenage boy with dark hair and a goatee wearing a turquoise T-shirt under the hoodie over a white shirt.

"Maybe if I showed this person to Mother Gothel, it'll prove to her that I'm more than capable of leaving this tower to go see the lights," Rapunzel figured.

Picking the boy up, she stuffed him in a nearby closet and then examined the leather bag he was carrying. Inside it was a golden crown with inlaid diamonds and rubies, which fascinated Rapunzel. She then heard Gothel call her name and put the crown back in the bag tossing it underneath the stairs.

"Let down your hair, dear!" Gothel cried. "I'm waiting!"

Obediently, Rapunzel let her hair fall to the ground pulling Gothel up into the tower.

"Thank you," Gothel said as she stepped in. "Though you took longer to respond than usual."

Rapunzel hesitated to answer. "Well, I—

"If you're going to ask me abut taking you to see these lights you mentioned, then forget it," Gothel interrupted.

"You mean…you're not taking me?" Rapunzel's eyes widened. "But why? I have—

"I'm aware that you're doing fine in school and have gotten physically stronger," Gothel interrupted again. "Yet I can't help but worry about your safety. There are not nice people out in the world, who might try to take you away from me. But if you're here in the tower, I'll always know where you are and feel better about it. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, Mother Gothel," Rapunzel said reluctantly.

With a worried brow, Gothel walked up to Rapunzel and rubbed her hand against Rapunzel's cheek. "Now, my little flower, is there something I could get for your birthday?"

Thinking for a moment, Rapunzel answered, "I guess I would like sea shells from the ocean."

Gothel's eyes widened. "It'll take me at least two days to get there on foot. I might not make it back in time for—

"Please," Rapunzel begged. "If you go today, I'm sure you'll get back on my birthday which would be great."

After a pause, Gothel nodded. "Very well, I shall leave today. Just make sure to take care of yourself, don't skip out on schoolwork, and don't answer to any strangers that might come around here. Though the latter is unlikely, given how isolated we are, you never know."

Rapunzel briefly glanced at the closet, and then she smiled. "Don't worry, Mother Gothel, I'll be all right."

###

Later that day, Gothel left the tower and Rapunzel opened the closet causing the boy to fall onto the floor. This naturally woke him up, but Rapunzel had the frying pan in hand.

"Who are you and why did you come to my tower?" Rapunzel demanded, trying to sound threatening like Gothel.

The boy rubbed his head and looked up at Rapunzel. "What the—?

"Just answer the question!" Rapunzel thrust the frying pan in the boy's face.

"Okay, take it easy," the boy insisted. "I'm Flynn Rider, and I came to your tower for…shelter."

Unsure of whether to believe him, Rapunzel asked, "Then what's the deal with the crown?"

This caused the boy Flynn to wince. "You know where it is?"

"I do, but I'm not telling you where I hid it."

"Come on, you can trust me," Flynn insisted as he got up. "I mean, what're you doing in this tower anyway?"

"It's my home," Rapunzel stated.

"And do you ever go out?"

"No."

"Why?"

"My Mother won't let me."

"Well, that seems cruel. If you want, I could take you away from this place."

Flynn then puckered his lips and squinted his eyes. Rapunzel gave Flynn a confused look, which made him return his face to normal.

"Huh, you're the first girl I've met who has resisted the Smolder," Flynn remarked.

"The Smolder?" Rapunzel repeated.

"It's how I, um…"

"Attract girls?"

"Yes—I mean, no!"

"So you're a flirt and a thief."

"No, I'm not a thief. What makes you think that?"

"The crown looked pretty expensive, and you don't look very rich based on your clothes."

"Looks can be deceiving."

Rapunzel looked doubtful.

"Look, even if I am a thief it'll do you no good to keep that crown around. So why don't you give it to me and let me deal with it properly."

"Not if you agree to take me to see the lights!" As soon as she said this, Rapunzel looked down in embarrassment.

Flynn blinked. "The lights?"

"They appear over the city, beyond this valley," Rapunzel explained, then she stared directly at Flynn. "If you agree to take me to them in three days' time, I'll give the crown back to you."

"Really? That's it?"

"You can take it or leave it."

Sighing, Flynn replied. "All right, I'll take you to the city to see the lights."

End of Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14: Firstborn

Chapter 14: Firstborn

With the arrival of May, students were either forced to take their final exams for the Spring Semester or prepare for their class graduation at the end of the month. But for Merida, she was forced to think about her potential suitors after Anna didn't show any interest in them. Then after her finals were over, Merida's parents picked her up at school who were accompanied by her three brothers and Maudie the nanny. Together, they went to the airport and took the first available flight to Scotland.

Once they arrived at the DunBroch Castle, the three business partners met them there along with their sons. After a good nights' rest, everyone was up bright and early preparing for the games that were to be held that afternoon. So to commemorate this ancient tradition, all the castle's occupants were required to wear medieval clothing including Merida.

As she was being fitted into a sky-blue dress with golden embroidery, Merida's mother tightened the corset making Merida gasp. "I can barely breathe in this thing!"

"Well, that's how our ancestors wore such garments," Merida's mother stated, wearing a green dress with long sleeves and a gold circlet. "Now all we have to do is deal with your hair."

Though Merida objected to this, all of her hair was tucked underneath a white wimple that covered her head and the sides of her face. Then a medallion was placed around her neck, which depicted three bears intertwined with each other. Afterwards, she and her mother went to the throne-room where Merida's father his business partners and their sons all wore kilts of different colors. Even Merida's brothers were wearing small kilts, though they kept trying to lift them immaturely which Maudie prevented who was wearing a plain tan dress that showed off her enormous cleavage.

"My lords," Merida's mother announced, getting the mens' attention. "I thank you all for coming to our ancestral home, where powerful bonds were forged to make great kingdoms. Today, these bonds are present in the form of our successful business conglomerate."

"Yeah!" Shouted Merida's father and his business partners.

"With that said, we mustn't forget the past as it applies to the present," Merida's mother continued. "My daughter, Merida, has come of age to be married. As per tradition, the firstborn of every clan that's tied to our former kingdom has the privilege to compete in the games for Merida's hand in marriage. Of course, she and whoever wins won't actually get married until they both graduate from Disney Academy in two years' time. That way, they'll get to know each other better. Now, let's head out to the field!"

The men shouted in agreement and left the throne room while Merida her mother and Maudie followed behind.

###

Taking place in a large field near the castle, the games consisted of several activities including caber tossing weight and hammer throwing. Then the final event was archery, which Merida requested to be the one that would truly determine who would marry her. So the three business partners' sons lined up to shoot the targets that were several feet across from them with their clan banners blowing in the wind behind them. Yet while everyone was distracted by the firing of the arrows, Merida left the platform her family sat on and grabbed her clan's banner which was a single sword facing down. In addition, she grabbed a black cloak to hide her face. Once Dingwall's son shot the bullseye, she approached the field.

"Who're you?" Merida's father asked, looking surprised.

In response, Merida lifted her cloak and wimple off. "I am Merida, the firstborn of the DunBroch clan and I would like to compete for my own hand in marriage!"

"Merida!" Merida's mother exclaimed, standing up in her chair. "Get back here!"

Ignoring her mother, Merida took out a carved bow and placed an arrow into it. But because her dress was tight, she had a hard time pulling the string back all the way. With enough tugging, though, the seams on the dress came apart around her hips and arms.

"This is unacceptable behavior!" Merida's mother shouted. "You're embarrassing yourself!"

"No, Mum!" Merida objected. "I'm standing up for myself!"

Firing her bow, Merida's arrow hit the first target right in the bullseye. She then did the same to the other two targets, even managing to penetrate through the arrow Dingwall's son fired. At the same time, her mother approached her.

"I taught you better than this," Merida's mother growled angrily. "If only your father never taught you how to use the bow."

Before Merida could respond, her mother grabbed the bow out of Merida's hands and walked over to the nearest fire pit. She then threw the bow into the fire, much to Merida's horror. Unable to speak, Merida ran to her Clydesdale horse got on it and galloped into the woods.

###

Sometime later, Merida's horse abruptly halted.

"Why'd you stop, Angus?" Merida asked, drying her tear-stained eyes.

In front of her stood a large circle of stones that were monolithic in size. But what drew Merida's attention more was a small blue flame that seemed to hover in the center.

"A Wisp!" Merida exclaimed, climbing off of her horse. "I remember seeing them when I was younger, but Mum claimed they were just my imagination."

Approaching the stones cautiously, Merida came upon the blue flame and reached out to touch it. But in mere seconds, the Wisp vanished only to reappear nearby with several identical flames creating a makeshift path. Merida followed these Wisps up to an ordinary stone cottage.

"Why would the Wisps lead me here?" Merida wondered, while her horse neighed nervously. "It's okay, Angus, I'm sure whoever lives here is harmless."

Merida then tugged at the wooden door handle and found it unlatched. Inside, the cottage was full of wood carvings of every shape and size though most of them had to do with bears. There was also a crow sitting perfectly still to where Merida thought it was stuffed.

But when Merida touched it, the crow screeched, "_Another customer, Carver!_"

"Shut up, birdbrain!"

As the crow was knocked down by a flying piece of wood, Merida looked toward a fireplace and saw an old woman sitting there with a big face and eyes that looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"Sorry about that, Dearie," the old woman apologized, approaching Merida. "I'm Moira Carver, famous woodcarver around these parts with bewitching good deals on all my stock! Is there anything in particular you would like?"

"I'm not sure," Merida replied. "The Wisps led me here and—

"Ooh, this mantlepiece would look great for any home," the old woman interrupted, picking up a carving of a bear standing on its hind legs. "Or maybe this doorstop or…"

While Moira prattled on, Merida was distracted by the sight of a broom that was sweeping the floor by itself nearby.

"Is that broom moving on its own?" Merida said, pointing to it.

Moira's eyes widened and she snapped her finger which caused the broom to stop. "No, it isn't."

"You're a Witch!" Merida realized.

"Not at all!" Moira claimed. "Just because I'm an old woman living in the woods doesn't mean I'm a Witch."

"But you made that broom stop moving."

"It's an automatic broom! Ever heard of those?"

"No."

"That's because it's brand-new, ordered it straight from the Yen Sid Emporium."

"_Liar! Carver's a bonafide Witch!_" The crow cried, getting back on its feet.

"You're not helping!" Moira yelled, waving her hand which caused a knife from the kitchen area to fly right at the bird almost cutting off its tail feathers.

"Care to explain that?" Merida said snidely.

"I don't have to," Moira replied, redirecting the knife till it floated in front of Merida. "Who sent you here?"

"N-No one," Merida insisted.

"Was it Merlin?" Moira questioned. "That nosy wizard's always making us Witches look bad, after what he did to Madam Mim!"

Looking at the floating knife nervously, Merida responded, "If I buy your whole stock, will you do me a favor?"

Moira paused. "What will you give me in return?"

"This medallion," Merida answered as she removed the bear-inscribed medallion from her neck. "It's been in my family's possession for generations, back to when we ruled DunBroch Castle."

"You're from the DunBroch family?" Moira's eyes widened as she took the medallion from Merida's hand. "This reminds me of a medallion given to me by a young man long ago who asked me for a favor."

"And he got it?" Merida guessed.

"Yes, but it was more than he bargained for," Moira explained. "Now what do you want?"

"I want you to…change my Mum's mind, about getting engaged to someone prematurely," Merida stated.

"Let's see what I can do." Moira went to a large cauldron by the fireplace and picked out several bottles with different-colored liquids in it.

As she added these bottles to the cauldron, the front door was shut and the room grew dim except for the eerie green light coming from the cauldron itself. Merida watched Moira with interest, and then was surprised when Moira presented her with a freshly baked cake made with an unknown fruit inside.

"Take this to your Mum," Moira advised. "And once she bites into it, she'll change."

Without hesitation, Merida took the cake from Moira's hand.

End of Chapter 14


	15. Chapter 15: Love Is an Open Door

Chapter 15: Love Is an Open Door

After Anna checked out the three boys that were apparently Merida's suitors, she decided none of them were her type. Though coincidentally, she saw the auburn-haired boy again during lunch one day eating a sandwich and approached him.

"Hey, um, I wanted to apologize for what happened in the hallway," Anna said nervously. "I just wasn't paying attention and—

"You don't need to apologize," the auburn-haired boy insisted. "In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you for grabbing your arms inappropriately."

"But you were trying to catch me, so it's fine," Anna claimed. "Anyway, let's pretend that didn't happen and introduce ourselves properly. I'm Anna Arendelle, sister to Elsa the soon-to-be CEO of Arendelle Refrigeration."

"Oh, I've heard of her," the auburn-haired boy exclaimed. "She became heir to the company after her parents—I mean yours, died in that boating accident that occurred three years ago."

"Yep, that's the sad truth of it all," Anna confirmed. "But it didn't affect my sister's life too much, since she had been taking her classes online up to that point."

"Do you know why?" The auburn-haired boy asked.

Anna hesitated to answer. "It's…complicated."

"Sorry," the auburn-haired boy apologized. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's all right," Anna claimed. Then she thought for a moment and said, "So, in a few weeks, my sister is having a business party at our house to celebrate her becoming the CEO of our family's company. Do you want to come?"

This surprised the auburn-haired boy. "But I barely know you."

"Well, I don't have any close friends and it would be nice to have someone to talk to in case my sister decides to ignore me during the party."

"Does your sister often ignore you?"

Sighing, Anna responded, "She's locked herself in her room since we were children, and so I hardly see her in general."

"That sounds rough," the auburn-haired boy remarked. "Well, I shall gladly attend the party if only to give you some much-needed company."

Smiling genuinely, Anna grasped the auburn-haired boy's hand. "Thank you so much, Mister…"

"Holm," the auburn-haired boy answered. "Hans Holm; I recently transferred here from the Southern Isles."

"I see," Anna reacted and let go of Hans' hand. "Guess I'll see you later, Hans Holm."

"You too, Anna," Hans replied, as Anna walked away to hide the redness in her cheeks.

###

Because she liked Hans, Anna decided to postpone her graduation from the end of the Spring Semester to Fall Semester though Elsa was a little baffled by this change. Still, she allowed Anna to go through with it despite the fact that Anna had taken all the necessary classes to graduate. Then at the end of May, Elsa was required to sign several documents that would make her the CEO of Arendelle Refrigeration so Anna accompanied her to the company's main office as a witness. Several members of the board were present too, including the company president who had been running things since Anna and Elsa's parents died.

While Anna had her hair tied in a bun and wore a turquoise-green top with a black camisole underneath and a forest-green skirt on, her blonde-haired sister had her hair wrapped around her head in a braid wearing a black business suit with a turquoise-blue dress underneath and thin blue gloves. After Elsa removed the gloves, she quickly signed the documents and gave them to the secretary who looked at the pen in confusion since there seemed to be bits of frost on it. Ignoring this, Anna followed Elsa to their family limo which took them back to their home while Elsa put the gloves back on in haste.

Later that night, several businessmen and their wives showed up at Anna and Elsa's house along with the board members and company president. While Anna greeted everyone at the front door politely, she gasped upon seeing Hans approaching the house wearing a white suit tan vest and matching tie.

"Hans!" Anna cried. "You made it!"

"I always keep my promises," Hans said, eying Anna up and down. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," Anna blushed. "You're not too bad yourself."

"Yeah, funny story," Hans began, walking into the foyer while Anna followed him. "This thing was actually a hand-me-down from my brother, who's one of twelve that I have."

"Wait, you have twelve brothers?" Anna exclaimed.

"Exactly," Hans confirmed. "And since my parents run a trading business in the Southern Isles, I'm not going to inherit their company for a long time."

"That's too bad," Anna said sympathetically.

"But the worst part is getting ignored by my brothers, who treat me like I don't exist," Hans replied. "That's why I came here, so I could find something to call my own and be with someone who acknowledges me as a person."

Unsure of what to say, Anna led Hans onto the rooftop terrace which was refreshingly quiet and full of various flora that were blooming.

"Hey, Hans, can I…say something crazy?" Anna began.

"Sure, I love crazy," Hans responded.

"My whole life's been a bunch of doors slammed in my face, so I never felt inclined to really connect with anyone until I met you."

"That's what I was going to say. I've been searching my whole life to find my own place, but with you I feel more comfortable than around my entire family."

"Then maybe we were meant to meet each other," Anna suggested.

"Makes sense to me," Hans agreed. Then he asked, "So, would you…be my girlfriend?"

This made Anna flinch. Then she responded, "You know what's even crazier than that?"

"What?" Hans asked.

"I would totally be your girlfriend!" Anna admitted giddily. "This has never happened to me before! I mean, love is an open door right?"

"Absolutely!" Hans then took Anna's hand. "Let's go tell your sister!"

Surprised by this, Anna was dragged inside by Hans where they navigated through the house until they found Elsa talking to an elderly man who wore a black suit with a red shirt and tie.

"Excuse me, Elsa," Anna said as she clamped Hans' right hand. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Elsa replied, turning away from the elderly man. "I was about done talking with the president of Weselton Trading anyway."

Looking disgruntled, the elderly man hid it with a polite nod before walking away.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Elsa asked, eying Hans with suspicion.

"Elsa, this is Hans Holm from the Southern Isles," Anna introduced. "He's the guy I became friends with at school."

"Hello, Elsa," Hans said, holding out his left hand. "Congratulations on become one of the youngest CEOs in the country."

"Um, thanks," Elsa said, keeping her gloved hands to herself. "Though I don't recall seeing your name on the guest list."

"He was a last-minute invite," Anna explained. "But it's all cool because he's my boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend?" Elsa exclaimed. "When did this happen?"

"Just now," Anna replied, clasping Hans' other hand as they stared into each other's eyes. "And it's completely consensual."

"But from what you told me, you've only known this guy for a few weeks at least—not counting the time you bumped into him," Elsa responded nervously. "So doesn't it seem a bit too soon to decide if he's worth dating or not?"

"What do you know about dating?" Anna argued. "You've been locked up in your room for most of our lives!"

Taken aback, Elsa turned away. "I couldn't help that."

"Yes, you could have!" Anna let go of Hans and grabbed Elsa's gloved hand. "If you told me what was wrong, we could have—

"Let it go!" Elsa shouted, wrenching her hand out of the glove.

Yet as this happened, a blast of icy wind flew from Elsa's hand causing frost to appear on the ceiling of the ballroom area and ice on the floor. This surprised everyone who was in the room, including the Weselton Trading President.

"Witchcraft," the elderly man murmured out loud.

End of Chapter 15


	16. Chapter 16: Pathfinding

Chapter 16: Pathfinding

After doing some research in the school library, Moana discovered that her people were indeed sea-faring voyagers as her grandmother claimed. Then a few days after her grandmother's passing, she followed the direction of the hook constellation to the docks on the city's eastern side which led out to sea. Smelling the fresh salty air brought back memories of when she was living on her island, and immediately she noticed the ocean water seemed to rise up to her level. This caused the nearby pedestrians to run away, including several fishermen, though the water didn't advance. Instead, it loomed like a towering droplet over Moana.

"Am I doing this?" Moana asked, though she quickly felt embarrassed at the thought of talking to literal water.

Yet the ocean water seemed to respond by moving side-to-side like it was shaking its head.

"So you're…alive?" When the water bobbed up and down, Moana interpreted it as a 'yes'. "Then you really did move when I was little?"

Again, the ocean water nodded.

"Because you chose me to restore the Heart of Te Fiti," Moana concluded, looking down at her grandmother's necklace. "Do you know where I can find Maui?"

In response, the ocean water moved down the docks toward a shipyard full of large boats and cranes that resembled upside-down hooks. Moana followed the ocean water on impulse and was distracted by the size of boats when she almost ran into someone.

"Whoa, hey!"

Looking up, Moana saw a big man with long curly brown hair tied up into a man bun large muscles covered in tattoos and beady eyes. He wore an orange jumpsuit with the top part unzipped revealing no shirt underneath and had a hardhat tucked under one shoulder.

"Sorry," Moana apologized. "I was looking for someone."

"Well, unless this person works in the shipyard I suggest you should look somewhere else," the big man said. "Civilians aren't allowed here except under special permission."

"Right," Moana nodded, and looked at the other people nearby who also had their jumpsuits unzipped. "Is there a person named Maui here?"

"I'm Maui," the big man answered. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Taking a deep breath, Moana tugged on the big man's ear and said, "I am Moana of Motunui and I demand that you return the Heart of Te Fiti!"

"Ow! Wait a sec!" Maui pushed Moana back, causing her to let go. "What's this Heart of Te Fiti stuff you're going on about?"

"You're the Demigod Maui, right?" Moana claimed. "You stole the Heart of Te Fiti long ago, and dropped it when Te Kā showed up. That's what my Gramma Tala told me."

"Then she must be crazy, because I'm no Demigod," Maui insisted. "I build ships for a living, and just happen to share the same name as he does."

Unsure of what to say, Moana's eyes fell upon one tattoo on Maui's body depicting a miniature version of him which seemed to move across his chest. From there, she noticed other tattoos depicting the sun being stopped by a hook land formations being pulled from the sea with a rope and a coconut tree blossoming from the guts of a snake.

"Maui was said to possess tattoos that have a mind of their own, depicting all of the deeds he did across the centuries," Moana recalled out loud. "So you are him!"

"No, I'm not," Maui insisted, zipping up his jumpsuit and putting on the hardhat. "Whatever you saw on my chest was probably a trick of the sunlight. Now if you don't leave right now, I'm going to call the cops."

"I'm not leaving until you agree to help me restore the Heart of Te Fiti," Moana replied, reaching for her necklace. "I have it right here if you don't believe me."

"So what?" Maui shrugged. "Even if it was the real thing, it'll only bring you trouble."

"And how would you know that, if you're not the Demigod Maui?"

Flinching, Maui walked away forcing Moana to follow him.

"Why are you lying to me?" Moana demanded. "Is it because you don't want to face Te Kā, or Te Fiti for that matter?"

Maui said nothing, and instead he turned around and picked up Moana. She tried to struggle, but Maui's grip was strong as he placed her back at the entrance to the shipyard. But Moana immediately walked back over to him.

"Please, Maui," Moana pleaded. "My home island of Motunui is dying because of Te Kā's influence, and the ocean chose me to return the Heart of Te Fiti. I need your help."

"Leave me alone!" Maui snapped, picking Moana up again and tossing her into the ocean.

What happened next was so baffling that Moana couldn't process it properly. One minute, she was sinking and then suddenly the water rose up beneath her pushing her up to the surface and back onto the edge of the shipyard. She was completely wet from head to toe, while Maui and a few others stared at her in confusion.

"Um, that wasn't supposed to happen," Maui reacted.

###

Afterwards, Maui got fired by the head shipbuilder for trying to harm a civilian though Moana tried to claim it was an accident. Then as Maui stormed away from the shipyard, Moana followed him down the pier to a small ship that looked like the traditional ones Moana's people sailed to impress the tourists that came to Motunui. But what made this one stand out was the blank sail.

"Came here to gloat?" Maui asked without looking at Moana. "I was due for a bonus that would've allowed me to make some upgrades to my ship, which I've spent a long time building so I could leave this city one day."

"But can't you just shape-shift into something and leave that way?" Moana brought up. "You can do that with your magic hook, right?"

"Yes, but I don't have it anymore," replied Maui.

"What happened?"

"It was stolen when I set foot here many years ago to get away from Te Kā."

"By who?"

"A crab named Tamatoa, who left the Realm of Monsters Lalotai to cause mischief on land. I've been keeping tabs on him while taking odd jobs around town, waiting for the perfect time to get the hook back. But thanks to you, I'm now going to have to start from scratch."

Moana thought for a moment and then said, "If I help you get the hook from Tamatoa, will you help me find Te Fiti?"

Maui let out a deep sigh and responded, "Fine, but I'm not taking you to Te Fiti. You'll have to get to her on your own."

"But how? I don't know where she is."

"Not my problem," Maui shrugged and stepped onto the boat.

"Then can you at least teach me pathfinding with your ship?"

"Oh, no," Maui objected, looking directly at Moana this time. "You're not sailing my baby."

"Okay, then I'll find my own boat," Moana compromised. "But in the meantime, could you teach me how to be a pathfinder?"

"If you think you've got what it takes, Princess."

"I'm no Princess!" Moana objected. "I happen to be the daughter of Motunui's senator."

"But you're wearing the Disney Academy girls' uniform," Maui pointed out. "And I know there's a Princess program at that school, which is only for the girls, so by that definition you're a Princess."

Groaning, Moana responded, "All right, but I'm willing to learn pathfinding if it'll help me find Te Fiti."

"You say that now, but the arduous training might make you change your mind," Maui warned as he climbed into the hull of the boat. "In the meantime, I'll meet you at the Shiny Deals loan company building two months from now."

"Two months?" Moana exclaimed. "Why that long?"

"Because I need to get another job in order to request a loan from Shiny Deals, which Tamatoa is posing as the president of," Maui explained. "That way, I get inside the building and figure out where my hook could possibly be before we try taking it back. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," Moana nodded.

"Good!" Maui then slammed the door to the hull of the boat on Moana, causing her to be briefly perplexed before walking back to her apartment.

End of Chapter 16


	17. Chapter 17: Woven Band

Chapter 17: Woven Band

In the weeks that followed, Esmeralda made secret visits to Quasimodo in the Clock Tower. Though he was initially against this, he quickly warmed up to her. From him, she learned that Frollo was Quasimodo's legal guardian which was only known to a handful of the Disney Academy school staff. Frollo also didn't allow Quasimodo to leave the Clock Tower, claiming the world wouldn't accept him as he was which was proven at the Festival of Fools. So Quasimodo was essentially home-schooled by Frollo, and was close to graduation. When he wasn't doing schoolwork, though, Quasimodo would either create figurines depicting students and staff for his miniature version of Disney Academy or talk to three gargoyle statues that he claimed were alive. Yet in the time Esmeralda spent with Quasimodo, the gargoyles never moved or spoke.

One night while looking over the lights of the city, Quasimodo said to Esmeralda, "Do you think Gypsies are…evil?"

This took Esmeralda by surprise. "Who told you that?"

"Frollo," Quasimodo replied in an embarrassed tone. "Though my online friend, Rapunzel, thinks Frollo's a bigot."

"Do you think _I'm _evil?" Esmeralda asked, looking at Quasimodo.

"No, you're kind and good and—

"Then maybe you should come with me, and see the rest of my Romani group," Esmeralda suggested. "They won't hurt you, I promise."

"But, this is where I belong," Quasimodo insisted, placing a large hand on the Clock Tower roof beneath him and Esmeralda. "And besides, I'm a monster, you know."

"Are you?" Esmeralda took Quasimodo's hand in hers. "Let me see your palm."

Quasimodo flinched, but gave in and allowed Esmeralda to examine the lines on his hand.

"Hmm, a long lifeline," Esmeralda observed and pointed to a different line. "Now this one means you're shy…huh, I don't see any…"

"What?"

"Monster lines. Not a single one…"

Just as Quasimodo was about to say something, a commotion was heard down below. Esmeralda looked down and noticed two Hall Monitors carrying batons who were waving flashlights up at them. Immediately, she and Quasimodo shifted down the other side.

"Great," Esmeralda grumbled. "If they spotted us, I can't leave through the hidden door of the Clock Tower."

"We don't need to use a door," Quasimodo smirked, pointing to a nearby roof. "We could jump over to that."

"Seriously?" When Quasimodo nodded, Esmeralda sighed and picked up her goat. "All right, Djali, we're leaving."

Using her pink headscarf, Esmeralda covered Djali's eyes so he would stay calm. Then Quasimodo picked her up and they leaped to a nearby roof. From there, they climbed down a gutter that was close to the school gates. While Esmeralda let Djali squeeze through the bars, she looked back at Quasimodo and smiled before climbing over the bars.

###

From there, a series of strange incidents happened. Not only did the weather suddenly grow colder but Frollo ordered Esmeralda to be found and brought before the authorities claiming she was a Witch. Because this wasn't true, Emseralda was tempted to claim otherwise thought Clopin advised her to hide for the time-being. Yet the searches turned into raids as Romani were interrogated and arrested for refusing to tell Follo were Esmeralda was. So Esmeralda daringly followed one of Frollo's raid groups to a house at the edge of the city. To her surprise, Phoebus was there alongside Follow as the family inside were questioned by the two men who harassed Esmeralda before.

"They claim to not know where Esmeralda is," said the skinny man of the two after they came out of the house.

"I think they're lying, like they always do," responded the fat man next to his skinnier partner.

"A likely possibility," Frollo determined. "Phoebus, would you inform Principal Disney that the Gypsy students who live here will no longer be attending?"

"Why's that?" Phoebus asked, noticing the men had brought gasoline and matches. "You're not going to—

"Do not question my authority," Frollo interrupted. "You were trained to follow orders as a Hall Monitor, and you shall do so regardless of what I tell you to do."

Frowning, Phoebus attempted to call the police but was stopped by one of the men. So he turned and ran toward the road nearby.

"Stop him!" Frollo ordered, and the skinny man pulled a handgun out.

He fired several bullets at Phoebus, who fell into the river near the road as it crossed over a bridge. Luckily, Esmeralda was hiding there so she grabbed Phoebus and dragged him away before the men came looking for him.

###

That night, Esmeralda came to the Clock Tower and entered it with Phoebus slung over her shoulder. Quasimodo was surprised to see her, but even more so at seeing Phoebus.

"He tried to call the police about Frollo burning a house that had a Romani family in it, but they tried to stop him," Esmeralda explained and showed the bleeding cut on Phoebus' shoulder that was caused when a bullet grazed it. "I know he'll be safe here while I treat his wound, but can you hide him for now?"

Quasimodo hesitated and then he said, "This way."

Near the back of the upstairs room in the Clock Tower, there was a hidden alcove that had a cot and sink. Esmeralda then placed Phoebus on the cot and pulled the curtains to hide them both. Using light from a nearby candle, she carefully removed Phoebus' shirt and cleaned his cut.

As she did this, Phoebus stirred. "Esmeralda…"

"It's okay," Esmeralda assured. "But you might want to save your strength."

"For what?" Phoebus asked.

Esmeralda held up a bottle of pure alcohol. "I'm going to pour this on your wound, and then you're going to need stitches."

"Oh, right, you work for the School Nurse Mary," Phoebus realized.

In response, Esmeralda nodded and poured the alcohol on Phoebus' shoulder causing him to cry out in pain.

"This is like being in the Fourteenth Century," Phoebus groaned. "Guess this is what I get for being a coward."

"Don't say that," Esmeralda insisted as she used a thin thread and needle to stitch the cut. "You're the bravest soldier I've ever met."

Phoebus seemed confused. "Is that a compliment?"

Smiling, Esmeralda kissed Phoebus which seemed to relax him enough for her to finish the stitching without any fuss. As he was resting Esmeralda went over to Quasimodo, who seemed upset but hid it with a smile.

"I'm going to be leaving now, but if you need to find me use this." From her neck, Esmeralda took off a necklace that had a woven band depicting various things. "Just remember: when you wear this woven band, you hold the city in your hand."

End of Chapter 17


	18. Chapter 18: Ancient History

**While there is no official connection between Meg's ex-boyfriend Adonis from the ****_Hercules _****TV series and the guy who abandoned her in the movie, I decided to make them the same person in this fanfic. I'm also going to include elements from the actual myth about Adonis to explain why he's not around.**

Chapter 18: Ancient History

During the unusually cold summer, Hades sent all kinds of monsters against Hercules. But to his dismay, every single one of them was easily defeated. This made Hades angry, though Meg found it highly amusing.

"I can't believe this kid!" Hades shouted after shooting a piece of pottery down with his flames. "No matter what monster I throw at him, he takes them down and his fame as a Hero goes up. There's gotta be something I'm missing…of course!"

"What?" Meg asked, noticing the malicious grin on Hades' face and being unnerved by it.

"Every Hero has a weakness: for Achilles, it was his heel, Samson's strength derived from his hair and so on. Anyway, Hercules has to have a weakness and you're going to help me find it."

"How?"

"By going on a date with him, I don't care."

"Huh, if I had known that I wouldn't have pretended to be your girl when we were in the Pandemonium Gang together."

Groaning, Hades said, "That was different, though. What's with you today, Meg? You're not usually this sarcastic. Don't tell me you have feelings for the kid—

"Of course not!" Meg snapped.

"Well, good, because if you recall the reason your soul belongs to me is because you gave it to save the life of your boyfriend Adonis when he died in a car crash. But instead of being grateful, he ditched you for the Goddess Aphrodite in human form only for him to get killed by Ares in a jealous fit of rage."

Meg sighed and said, "Look, I get what you're saying and I learned my lesson."

Hades then pulled Meg closer to him with his hands instead of the mist-like tendrils and whispered, "_If you find Hercules' weakness for me, I'll give you freedom._"

###

Sneaking into Hercules' house, which was a large Greek-style mansion on a hill outside the city, Meg saw hordes of girls assaulting Hercules before Phil lured them away. Fortunately, Phil didn't notice her as she closed the door behind him and helped Hercules to his feet.

"Looks like you need better security," Meg remarked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Hercules said nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"I just happened to be in the neighborhood," Meg shrugged. "Do you want to go somewhere together, Wonder Boy?"

Hercules blushed slightly. "S-Sure, but Phil—

"Phil, Schmil," Meg interrupted. "He's not the boss of you. You're a big Hero now, right?"

"Kind of…it's complicated."

"Then why not tell me over dinner? We could even go see a play afterward. _Oedipus Rex _is currently playing at the Mickey Mouse Theatre. I've heard it's really good."

While Hercules said nothing, Meg took him by the hand and led him outside. At a Greek restaurant in the downtown area, the two had dinner there and Meg learned a lot of things about Hercules. It was not only confirmed that he was the son of Zeus and adopted by a farming couple, but she also discovered his motivation for becoming a 'True Hero' as he put it.

"So Zeus spoke to you through a statue of himself, claiming the immortality you lost after being abducted from Olympus as a baby would be restored by proving yourself a true Hero," Meg recounted after Hercules explained it to her. "But despite all the monsters you've beaten and people you helped, not to mention the fame you've gained, that apparently isn't enough."

"Not exactly," Hercules replied. "He said those things are fine, though if I really want to prove myself I need to 'Look inside my heart,' whatever that means."

Meg was tempted to ask Hercules about his weakness, but she decided to wait as they went to the play _Oedipus Rex_. It was a dark story about a man who killed a Sphinx and married the widowed queen of a city, only for her to turn out to be his mother. Afterwards, Meg and Hercules went to a botanical garden full of birds and statues. One of them even resembled Cupid wielding a bow and arrow, which Meg accidentally backed into.

"Anyway, Hercules," Meg began as she pulled Hercules down onto a bench while she sat close to him. "I've been thinking about what your father Zeus said, and maybe the reason you haven't become a true Hero is because you have a…weakness to overcome. Do you have one?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," Hercules responded, looking away from Meg. "I'm incredibly strong, very durable, nice."

"Oh, yeah, then how about that way you reacted when I told you about those kids trapped in the cave with the Hydra?"

"I was excited — not about the trapped kids, but the chance to do something to prove I was a Hero to those people."

"But you shouldn't always listen to people. They don't always know what they want."

"Why would you say that?"

"Let's just say if there's a prize for rotten judgement, I've already won."

"How?"

Frowning, Meg hugged her shoulders. "That's ancient history, Wonder Boy, and I'd rather not talk about it."

"All right." Hercules then reached up and picked a white flower from the tree above them. "I should probably get going, before Phil worries about me. But this was a fun night."

In spite of herself, Meg smiled. "Yeah, tonight was fun."

Then Hercules gave the flower to Meg and briefly kissed her on the cheek before leaving the garden. As Meg felt briefly warm, she shook her head.

"What's wrong with me?" Meg pondered as she strolled around the garden, passing by a set of pillars with the figures of the Muses carved into them. "I thought my heart had learned its lesson. My head is screaming 'Get a grip, girl,' unless you're dying to cry your heart out."

Looking down at the flower again, though, Meg couldn't help but smile again.

End of Chapter 18


	19. Chapter 19: The Crystal

Chapter 19: The Crystal

In the underground city of Atlantis, which was beneath the district of the same name, Kida and Milo were standing near a lake with fireflies buzzing around. Milo was in the process of catching some of them to put into a glass bowl that was attached to a staff Kida was holding.

"You know, when I started this expedition with Rourke and the others I thought we were just going to find a bunch of rocks and abandoned ruins," Milo said as he caught one firefly in his hands. "But instead, we find the true home of Atlantis' district still thriving like it did thousands of years ago. Heh-heh, these fireflies are actually kind of cute when they're not flying in a fiery column of death."

As Milo placed the firefly he caught into the bowl, Kida sealed it up and responded, "We are not thriving. True, our people live but our culture is dying. Like a stone that the ocean beats against, a little more of us gets swept away with each passing year."

Milo looked concerned. "Is there something I can do?"

"I brought you to this place to ask you for your help," Kida explained. "There is a mural here with writing all around the pictures."

"Okay, let's start here." Milo placed the staff with the bowl of fireflies next to a felled stone column that had Atlantean writing on it.

While this was going on, Kida removed her clothes down to her blue underwear and matching strapless bra. Seeing Milo looking confused, she said, "You do swim, right?"

"Oh, I swim pretty girl — pretty good," Milo muttered.

"Good, it's a fair distance to where we are going."

So as Kida waded into the lake, Milo stripped down to his boxers and said, "Hey, you are talking to the bellyflop champion—

Kida then snickered as air filled Milo's boxers when he entered the water, causing them to poof out. Embarrassed, he removed the air and dove in.

However, Milo came back up a moment later. "Um, why don't you lead the way because…I have no idea where we're going."

After taking a deep breath, Kida dove down followed by Milo. They swam to the bottom of the lake and entered a cave that had an air pocket inside allowing them to surface.

"You all right?" Kida asked, seeing Milo panting after they resurfaced.

"Well, I didn't drown," Milo replied wearily.

"Fine, follow me." Kida dove again after taking another breath while Milo did the same.

Heading vertically downward, they found a large stone mural that depicted many images including statues with glowing eyes and a large crystal. These were surrounded by Atlantean words, which Milo read using Kida's luminescent crystal as a source of light. After reading some of the words, the two of them swam back up to the air pocket.

"Amazing…a complete history of Atlantis," Milo remarked. "It's just like the way Plato described it, though he did leave out a lot of details—

"But the light I saw," Kida interrupted. "What does the writing say about that?"

"I'm not sure, but we're gonna find out."

Milo took another deep breath and dove back down along with Kida. He read more words from the mural and seemed surprised after resurfacing. "It's the heart of Atlantis…"

"What?" Kida flinched.

"There's a passage in the _Shepherd's Journal_ about something called 'The heart of Atlantis,' and I think this is what it was talking about," Milo elaborated. "The power source I've been looking for and the bright light you remember, they're the same thing."

"It cannot be." Kida shook her head. "What does this 'Heart of Atlantis' even look like?"

Without warning, Milo picked up Kida's glowing crystal and held it up. "It's some kind of crystal. Only this one is what keeps the smaller crystals you and all of Atlantis alive."

"So where is it now? Does the journal reveal its location?"

"You would think that, but I didn't find anything past the passage that mentioned the heart except…a missing page."

###

Upon reaching the surface of the lake, Kida saw several men in gas masks pointing their guns at her and Milo. But before she had time to react, she was grabbed by the hair and thrown onto the ground. Instinctively, she threw the man into the lake and beat back the masked gunmen that came towards her. Kida even managed to pin one to the ground and removed a hidden blade that was attached to a leather strap around her leg. However, it was shot out of her hand causing her to look back and see Rourke holding a smoking handgun. Behind him stood Helga Vinny Mole Cookie Packard Sweet and Audrey, who all carried different kinds of guns in their hands. Then two masked gunmen grabbed Kida's arms and dragged her away just as she kicked the guy who was still on the ground.

"Sorry about that, Kida," Rourke apologized, though he didn't sound sincere. "These guys aren't exactly the most delicate when it comes to handling targets."

"You mean mercenaries?" Milo frowned. "Because that's all you are."

"Mercenary?" Rourke smirked, waving a piece of old parchment in his hand. "I prefer the term 'adventure capitalist'. Besides, you're the one who got us here and led us straight to the crystal."

This caused Milo to get out of the water and shout, "You don't know what you're tampering with, Rourke!"

"What's there to know? It's big, shiny, and gonna make us all rich."

"You think it's some kind of diamond and I thought it was some kind of battery, but we're both wrong! It's their life-force. That crystal is what's keeping the Atlanteans alive, so if you take it away they'll die!"

"Well, that changes things," Rourke responded and turned to Helga. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"Knowing that, I'd double the price," Helga answered.

"I was thinking of tripling it, actually," replied Rourke.

"Why are you doing this?" Milo asked. "Is Mr. Whitmore supporting this too?"

"No, he knows nothing about what we're doing here," Rourke claimed. "But if you think about it, most the artifacts you see in museums today were probably stolen. So you could call this a service to the archeological community, even if a few hands were dirtied along the way."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to be a part of it," Milo argued.

"Then I guess you're an idealist, just like your grandfather." When Milo didn't answer, Rourke said, "Would it kill you to not be like him and do the smart thing for once?"

Again, Milo said nothing. So Rourke snapped his finger, causing the masked gunman the held Kida to drop her to the ground and put a gun against her head.

"Now, let's try this again." Rourke held up the parchment, revealing a picture of a glowing crystal with stone faces circling it which Kida figured was the missing page Milo referred to.

End of Chapter 19


	20. Chapter 20: Down the Bayou

**Sorry for the long delay. I've been caught up in a lot of stuff lately, and now I'm back with another installment. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 20: Down the Bayou

"I can't believe this!" Tiana remarked out of frustration.

After kissing the frog claiming to be the real Prince Naveen, Tiana's body had changed into that of a female frog much to her surprise. Meanwhile, Naveen remained the same and was just as confused. But before the two could question the situation further, Charlotte came back into her room and screamed upon seeing the frogs that were on the floor. So Tiana and Naveen were forced to flee the house and hopped into a nearby park using the bushes as cover.

Naveen poked his head out slightly and said, "Well, maybe if you had told me you weren't really a princess—

"You never asked!" Tiana snapped. "And what makes you think that it's because I'm not a princess that I ended up like this?"

"How else would you explain it?" Naveen pointed out. "Now I would ask Doctor Facilier, but he's currently after me for my blood."

"Your blood?"

"He needs it to power the talisman he gave Lawrence, which allows him to look like me."

Thinking back to the Naveen she saw with Charlotte, Tiana realized, "Now that you mention it, I did notice you — I mean, Lawrence, wearing something that looked like a face."

"Yes, that's it," Naveen confirmed. "And if I can get that talisman from him, people will know he's an imposter."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change our current situation," Tiana reminded Naveen. "And were you lying when you said you'd help me pay for my restaurant?"

"Not at all, though my parents recently cut my allowance money hence I visited Facilier hoping he could give me some advice on how to get rich quick."

"Ugh, great! I'm trapped in the body of a frog, and stuck with a broke prince."

Just then, a stray dog that was walking around the park sniffed the bushes Naveen and Tiana were in. As soon as it saw them, the dog started barking forcing the two to flee once more. Reaching the edge of the sidewalk along the park, Naveen ducked underneath the storm drain but ended up falling through it forcing Tiana to follow him. They both landed in the sewers, and were surprised to find a large alligator staring at them.

"Oh my," Tiana exclaimed. "I heard a rumor there were alligators in the sewer, but I didn't think they were real."

As the alligator started to move towards them, Naveen said, "Um, please don't eat us. Our bodies are covered in mucus, so we do not taste very good."

"Nah, I'm not going to eat you two," the alligator said, standing on its back legs. "In fact, I wouldn't hurt a fly."

"That's for darn sure," said a firefly with a Cajun accent that flew next to the alligator. "Aw, but we're being impolite. I'm Ray, and this big fella is Louis."

"Hello," the alligator said waving.

"Um, nice to meet you two," Tiana responded nervously. "My name is Tiana, and this is Naveen. We sort of dropped in by accident."

"Happens all the time," Ray said dismissively.

"So what brings a couple of frogs like you down here?" Louis asked.

"Actually, we're not frogs," Tiana explained, though Louis and Ray gave her confused looks. "Well, we look like frogs now but we were once human. A voodoo guy named Facilier cursed Naveen, who cursed me in turn because I kissed him."

"Hey!" Naveen objected. "I wouldn't put it like that."

"But that's essentially what happened," Tiana argued.

"So are you looking for someone to turn you back into humans?" Ray guessed, causing Tiana and Naveen to nod. "You should seek out Mama Odie, the voodoo queen who lives deep in the Bayou land."

"The Bayou?" Tiana exclaimed. "But that's several miles south of here."

"I can guide you, though," Ray claimed. "With my fellow fireflies lighting the way, of course, and Evangeline."

"And who is she?" Naveen asked.

"My unrequited love," Ray sighed. "She's the most beautiful firefly I have ever seen, yet so far away. I try to speak to her, but she's so shy that she doesn't say nothing. Yet I still admire her."

"Aw, that's so heartwarming," Naveen remarked.

"Yeah, I guess," Tiana replied nonchalantly. "But if you can take us to this Mama Odie, we would be really grateful."

"Can I come too?" Louis spoke up. "I'd like to see Mama Odie about becoming human so I can achieve my dream."

Tiana looked at Louis quizzically. "Which is?"

"To blow my horn onstage." Louis then held up a rusty-looking trumpet and played a little tune which sounded good despite the instrument it played out of.

###

For several weeks, Tiana Naveen Louis and Ray made their way down south to the Bayou using a group of fireflies that created a convenient path for them. On the way, they encountered not only frog hunters but also demons which Tiana guessed were sent by Facilier. Tiana also learned that Ray's love Evangeline was really the Wishing Star, which made her pity the poor old firefly. Eventually they found Mama Odie, who was an old black woman in a white dress that lived in a treehouse with a pet snake named Juju.

"Ah, Ray!" Mama Odie smiled. "Feels like forever since you left the Bayou for the city, and I see you've made some friends up there."

"I've been his friend for a longtime," Louis clarified. "Though these two are new."

Naveen and Tiana stood upright.

"Hmm, I see a curse has been placed upon you both," Mama Odie observed. "Did a man named Doctor Facilier do this?"

"Yes," Naveen answered. "Do you know him?"

"Course I do," replied Mama Odie. "He's making people like me look bad, using the power of voodoo for evil instead of good. People have now started comparing voodoo with witchcraft, even though those are two separate things. But that's beside the point: the only way for you two to become human again is to receive a kiss from a true princess."

"What does that mean?" Tiana inquired. "Does it have to be a specific princess, or will any of the actual princesses at Disney Academy do?"

"Anyone who has the title of princess will work," stated Mama Odie. "Including your friend Charlotte, whom I believe will be crowned Princess at the Fall Semester Ball."

Tiana's eyes widened. "If that's true, then we need to get back home as soon as possible."

"But why should we rush things?" Naveen interjected. "If this ball isn't until the Fall season, which isn't for a few months, we can travel back home in style on the steamboat we saw earlier."

Groaning, Tiana said, "Okay, fine, but when we get back and turn human you owe me big time."

End of Chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21: See The Light

Chapter 21: See The Light

After three days' travel, Rapunzel and Flynn reached the city after being followed by a stubborn white horse that Rapunzel decided to call Maximus because of the name stitched onto its saddlebag along with the word 'police'. While Flynn seemed dubious, the horse did seem to respond to the name Maximus. But Rapunzel was soon distracted by the many sights and sounds that the city had to offer, which included street dancing multicolored streamers on the lampposts along with stands selling flowers and paper lanterns.

"What is this?" Rapunzel asked, pointing to a mural that depicted a sad-looking couple reaching towards a baby that was crowned and being carried up into a dark cloud by a pair of bony hands.

"That is the origin of this festival," Flynn answered. "Story has it that eighteen years ago, the mayor's wife was very sick while pregnant and the only cure for it was a magical flower. But the flower was being used by a Witch, who decided to steal the wife's newborn child as revenge. So this Festival of Lanterns was created with the idea that the lost child would see the lights in the sky and come home one day."

"I see." Rapunzel looked at the child again and noticed the crown it wore looked remarkably similar to the one in Flynn's leather bag which was back at the tower.

"Excuse me," said a small girl tugging on Rapunzel's dress. "Do you want your hair braided?"

"By who?" Rapunzel questioned.

"My mom," the small girl replied, pointing to a weary-looking woman near a flower stand. "She does a good job and it's only for five bucks."

Looking in her dress pockets, Rapunzel said, "Oh, sorry, I don't have any money—

"I'll pay for it," Flynn offered, taking a five dollar bill out of his pants pocket.

"Thanks, mister!" The girl smiled and dragged Rapunzel over to her mother.

After all of Rapunzel's golden hair was thoroughly braided with white flowers weaved in, Flynn took her to the river that ran through the city and rented a boat to watch the lanterns in.

"So why do you steal if you have money?" Rapunzel abruptly said, causing Flynn to almost drop the oars.

"Technically, this isn't my own money but my mother's," Flynn replied. When Rapunzel gave him a confused look, he said, "Ever since my dad left to make his fortunes elsewhere, my mom's been having to support the both of us. But just so she doesn't seem stingy in front of the other moms in my neighborhood, she gives me a regular allowance. Doesn't stop the kids from teasing me, though, so I want to make money my own way."

"By stealing the crown?"

"That…was out of desperation. I was forced to steal the crown by a couple of guys who threatened to harm my mom if I didn't, and that's why I need it."

Unsure of what to say, Rapunzel soon noticed the lanterns flying into the sky and watched them silently while Flynn kept the boat steady along the current. When they got back to the dock, Flynn left to get something so Rapunzel waited. She then heard footsteps and saw Gothel approaching her carrying Flynn's bag.

"Mother!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "How did you—

"Is this how you repay my kindness? By running away with lowly thieves who steal crowns?" Gothel snapped. "When I didn't see you in the tower, I was scared to death and went through great lengths just to find you!"

"I-I'm sorry," Rapunzel muttered.

"What were you thinking?" Gothel continued. "You could've gotten hurt, taken advantage of, or even killed!"

"But nothing bad happened! I was able to defend myself just fine, and Flynn Rider helped."

"Flynn Rider?" Gothel made a sharp laugh. "His real name is Eugene Fitzherbert and he's a runaway orphan."

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "He told me he had a mother, though."

"Well, he lied. The only people he knows are the Stabbington Brothers, and they're wanted for multiple crimes with murder among them. Now let's go home."

"No," Rapunzel objected. "I want to hear the truth from Flynn first."

Gothel hesitated, then she tossed the bag to Rapunzel who caught it. "Fine. See how he reacts."

Then Gothel vanished into thin air much to Rapunzel's surprise.

Flynn arrived soon after and his eyes looked straight at the bag. "Is that—

"Yes, it's your bag," Rapunzel said and fibbed, "I had it with me the whole time."

"Why didn't you say so?"

"Because I didn't know if I could trust you. Now why do you really need the crown?"

"For us, luv," said a pair of male voices that sounded identical.

Out of the shadows emerged two big men with short ginger hair and gray clothes.

"Nice going, Eugene," said one of the men. "You brought the crown to us like you promised."

"Promised?" Rapunzel blinked.

"I didn't promise these guys anything," Flynn claimed. "I left to see if I could find that online friend of yours Quasimodo."

"He came directly to us, the Stabbington Brothers, saying he had the crown," responded the second man. "Now if you're not going to give the crown willingly, then we'll have to take it from you by force."

As the two men advanced, Flynn stood frozen. Panicking, Rapunzel attempted to undo the braids to let her hair loose when Gothel suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Get away from my daughter, you thief!" Gothel shouted as she pushed Flynn to the ground and glared at the Stabbington Brothers. "The same goes for you two."

"Wait!" The first man objected. "What about our deal?"

Before Rapunzel could ask anything, Gothel grabbed Rapunzel's arm and snapped her finger. In an instant, they were back inside the tower with moonlight coming in from the open window.

"He really did lie to me," Rapunzel muttered, feeling tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry, Mother Gothel, I should've listened to you."

"All is forgiven, my little flower," Gothel said and stroked Rapunzel's head. "I'll unbraid your hair tonight, and then return the stolen crown tomorrow."

End of Chapter 21


	22. Chapter 22: Legends Are Lessons

Chapter 22: Legends Are Lessons

When Merida returned to the DunBroch Castle, she went into the kitchens and placed the cake that the Witch Moira Carver gave her onto a tray along with a pot of tea from the stove. She then made her way up to her mother's room and knocked politely.

"_Who is it?_" Merida's mother said on the other side of the door.

"It's me," Merida replied.

Immediately, the door opened revealing Merida's mother who looked both concerned and angry.

"Where have you been?" Merida's mother demanded. "Your father got so worried when you ran away until his business partners started pestering him about who truly won the games. So I had to calm them down and — is that a cake?"

"Um, yes," Merida lied. "I made it for you."

As Merida's mother looked down at the cake, her face softened a little.

"Would you care to try it?" Merida offered.

"Sure," Merida's mother nodded and took the tray from Merida's hands.

Placing it on her bed, Merida's mother used the fork on the tray to cut a piece of the cake off and eat it. As Merida closed the door behind her as she entered the room, she saw her mother make several odd faces before falling off the bed. Surprised by this, Merida moved to the other side of the bed and saw a large black bear in place of her mother. This caused Merida to gasp, which got the bear's attention. Standing on its hind legs, the bear seemed confused as its human-like eyes stared back at Merida.

"Mum?" Merida muttered.

Hearing that, the bear made a grunting noise and looked down at itself in surprise.

"You're a bear," Merida realized and examined the cake which was still on the tray. "That daft old Witch! I told her to change my Mum's _mind _not her body!"

The bear that was Merida's mother made several irritated grunting sounds in response.

"Look, I didn't mean for this to happen," Merida insisted. "After I ran away, I found these Wisps and they led me to this cottage where a Witch lived. I asked if she could change your mind about the whole arranged marriage thing, and she gave me this cake after I agreed to buy all her stock on wood carvings which I paid for with that necklace you gave me. Now I'm sure if we go see the Witch together and explain what went wrong, she'll turn you back and maybe I'll get the necklace back too."

Just then, the door opened and Merida's brothers walked in. Naturally, they were frightened by the bear until Merida explained what was going on. After hearing her out, they agreed to help her get out of the castle with their mother in exchange for access to any sweets they wanted. So Merida reluctantly agreed to this and guided her mother out of the castle while avoiding her father's private security force who were currently dressed as medieval soldiers.

###

By the time Merida and her mother found Moira's cottage, it was completely empty minus an old answering machine.

"_Hello, this is Moira Carver who is definitely not a Witch and only a simple woodcarver. If you have come to my house asking about my stock or spells I may have haphazardly given, I am not here as I have gone to the Wicker Man Festival at Stornoway. Press 1 on the answering machine for questions about my stock, or 2 if it's about my spells_."

So Merida pressed the number 2 on the answering machine.

"_If you used one of my spells, you should be warned that the changes that may result will become permanent two days from when the spell was cast. To reverse the spell completely, you must mend the bond that was broken by pride_."

"What does that mean?" Merida asked out loud as the message repeated itself.

Out of frustration, Merida slammed her fist into the answering machine which didn't break but her hand stung afterward. Meanwhile, Merida's mother was looking towards the open door.

"Don't go, Mum," Merida urged. "If we can get to Stornoway, we'll find the Witch for sure."

###

Traveling further north, Merida and her mother soon found ruins resembling a castle that was much older than the DunBroch one. Inside, they found a stone carving depicting three men with one of them covered in large claw marks.

"Do you remember that legend you told me as a kid, Mum? The one about the kingdom that once thrived until the youngest prince decided to change his fate which led to the kingdom's ruin?"

Nodding her head, Merida's mother snorted in response.

"Well, what if this place was that kingdom?" Merida speculated.

Suddenly, a deep growl echoed in the ruins followed by a moving shadow shaped like a bear.

"Mor'du!" Merida exclaimed, recognizing the long scar on the bear's face that her father gave it before losing his leg.

As the monstrous bear approached Merida, her mother charged at Mor'du and growled at him. In turn, he growled back and the two started fighting. Merida got out of the way and looked for some kind of weapon. It was then that she saw the carving again, and remembered what Moira said about a young man that came to her before.

"Stop, Mum!" Merida urged. "Mor'du isn't a bear, but another human who was cursed by Moira just like you! He's the young prince from the legend, who wanted to rule his father's kingdom instead of following tradition and letting his older brother do it. So that means the legend's true, and we're just repeating history."

However, Merida's mother wasn't apparently listening as she kept attacking Mor'du. So Merida picked up a rusted sword and swung it at Mor'du who backed away. This allowed Merida's mother to hit Mor'du out with one swipe from her paw, which knocked him out. But when Merida approached her mother, she noticed her mother's eyes had gone dark like a bear's. As Merida's mother growled, Merida was forced to back away.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Merida said nervously.

Then in an instant, Merida's mother stopped growling as her eyes changed back to the human-like form.

"So that's what Moira meant when she said the change would be permanent," Merida mumbled to herself. Then she realized something and said, "We have to go back to DunBroch Castle!"

This made Merida's mother tilt her head sideways.

"Since Mor'du let pride get the best of him, he was permanently changed. But that doesn't have to be case with you, Mum, because I'm going to settle the arranged marriage issue myself."

End of Chapter 22


	23. Chapter 23: Reindeer

Chapter 23: Reindeer

Following Elsa's display of magically producing ice from her hands, she ran away from the house and up into the mountains creating patches of ice with each step. While the Weselton Trading President want to contact Merlin, Anna insisted on finding Elsa herself despite Hans being against it.

"Even if you find your sister, she may not want to come back," Hans pointed out as Anna was checking her camping supplies. "And who will run your family's company now?"

"The president, of course," Anna replied. "But you'll be the acting CEO while I'm gone, since I am next in line to inherit the company."

"But I'm no older than you are, Anna."

"Look, I don't have any other options. I hurt Elsa's feelings and I have to make up for it."

"But she's got powers you never knew about."

"I don't care about that! All I want is to apologize to Elsa, because I still love her as a sister. But maybe I will ask her about these powers anyway, just so she's not falsely accused of being a Witch. On that note, do you think you can keep the Weselton Trading President from contacting Merlin until I get back?"

Hans paused. "Well, I'll try."

"Thanks." Anna smiled and kissed Hans on the cheek.

###

As snow fell from the sky, Anna was trekking upwards wearing a pink cap and jacket with black snow pants and brown boots. Unfortunately, her pack was very heavy which made the journey longer. When night fell a few days later, she came upon a log cabin that had a giant freezer in front filled with ice packs. There was also a stable nearby with a reindeer resting inside alongside a blond-haired boy who was playing a lute.

"Um, excuse me," Anna began. "Is this some kind of lodge?"

"Far from it," replied the blond-haired boy. "It's a shop that sells ice during the summer. But because of the unusually cold weather we've been having lately, hardly any customers have shown up."

"And how do you know this?"

"Because I sell ice for a living." The blond-haired boy stopped playing his lute and stood up. "The name's Kristoff, and my pet reindeer is called Sven."

In response, the reindeer snorted.

"Nice to meet you, Kristoff," Anna responded, trying to sound polite. "I'm Anna, and I am currently looking for my sister Elsa."

"What does she look like?" Kristoff asked.

"Has white-blonde hair, pale skin, was wearing a blue dress and gloves with a black suit jacket."

Kristoff shook his head. "I can't say I've seen your sister, but I have heard rumors of a blonde-haired 'Snow Queen' who resides in a castle made entirely of ice."

This made Anna flinch. "Where is this castle?"

"Near the top of Forbidden Mountain." Kristoff pointed up using his gloved hand. "Hardly anyone goes up there, though, since the Pandemonium Gang owned a dojo near its base and there was supposedly an evil Fairy that had her own castle too. Maybe this Snow Queen used what was left of it as the base for this ice castle she made."

Eying Sven, Anna said, "So, could I borrow your reindeer, Kristoff?"

"Oh, no," Kristoff objected. "If you want to borrow Sven, you'll have to take me along."

"Fine, then I want you to take me up to Forbidden Mountain."

"Did you not hear what I said? And besides, this weather will make the trek up there difficult."

"I'll pay you."

"How?"

"My sister is the CEO of Arendelle Refrigeration, which is the same company that manufactured this," Anna said as she nodded her head towards the freezer. "I'll make sure you get a handsome reward for helping me find her, which is probably more than you make selling ice."

"Hey, it pays the bills!" Kristoff claimed, and then he said, "But if you insist on going, you're going to need to do two things for me first before I agree to go with you."

"Name them."

"First, you need to lighten your pack down to the bare essentials. And two, explain what's really going on."

###

Reluctantly, Anna told Kristoff what had happened to Elsa while she was getting rid of extra stuff from her pack. Afterwards, Kristoff hitched a sleigh to Sven where he placed his pack and Anna's into the back of it.

"You know, I can't blame your sister," Kristoff said as he drove the sleigh further up the slope. "I mean, what do you know about Hans?"

"He's from the Southern Isles, has twelve brothers, and likes sandwiches," Anna answered while sitting in the passenger seat of the sleigh.

Kristoff looked doubtful. "Is that all? You don't know if he changes his underwear every few days, or why he likes you. For that matter, why do you like him?"

"He's cute, polite, and a good listener."

"Friends can do that just as well as boyfriends."

"But I don't have friends. At least, not ones I'm particularly close to."

"Why's that?"

"Because—

Suddenly, Sven stopped which threw Anna and Kristoff forward where they landed in front of a snowman that looked down at them.

"Hi, I'm Olaf," the snowman said with a buck-toothed smile.

Immediately, Anna got up and backed away while Kristoff did the same. "D-Did you just talk?"

"Of course!" Olaf the snowman replied. "I came to life recently thanks to Elsa."

"Elsa?" Anna exclaimed. "Do you know where she is? I'm her sister Anna."

"Well, she lives in an ice castle that's just up this mountain. I can take you to it."

"That would be great!" Anna got up before quickly pointing to Kristoff and Sven. "These two are with me."

"Ah, the more the merrier!" Olaf waved his stick arms joyfully.

So as the little snowman moved on his stumpy feet, Anna Kristoff and Sven followed.

"You guys come from below the mountain, right?" Olaf said. "What's it like down there?"

"Definitely warm," Anna replied.

"Warm?"

"Um, higher in temperature…"

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Well, it's a feeling you get where you're really content and aren't uncontrollably jittering from the cold."

"Like what you're doing?"

Realizing she was shaking from the wind blowing in her face, Anna nodded.

"That sounds really nice. I hope I get to experience being warm someday. Do you know what happens to snowmen in summer?"

Just as Kristoff was about to speak, Anna covered his mouth with her gloved hand. "Let's talk to Elsa about that. She would be able to answer your question better than we can."

End of Chapter 23


	24. Chapter 24: Shiny

Chapter 24: Shiny

Following two months of secret lessons with Maui on sailing and pathfinding, Moana was now waiting for him in front of the Shiny Deals loan company building that was near the touristy shops and restaurants along the piers facing the ocean. Yet Maui seemed to be taking his sweet time which made Moana anxious, and the ocean seemed to feel the same way as the waves lapped pier swaying back-and-forth constantly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to ditch me at the last minute, and this was all just a big scam so he could sail away from here," Moana speculated out loud, causing her to instinctively grip her necklace which held the Heart of Te Fiti. "But if that's the case, I might have to—

"Can I help you?"

Moana flinched. Behind her stood a large and towering man with a gold-colored coat draped over a purple suit.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," Moana apologized.

The large man smiled down at her with teeth that had gold grills in them and offered a hand with gold rings on each finger. "If you're here to get a loan, little lady, then step right in. Otherwise, I would suggest you take your business elsewhere. Loitering is a crime, you know."

"Actually, I was waiting for a friend," Moana explained. "His name is Maui and he said he'd meet me here."

"Hmm…" the large man murmured as he scratched the underside of his chin for a moment. Then he said, "I think someone with that name might be in my office right now."

"Really?" Moana's eyes widened.

"Yes," the large man nodded. "And I never lie. I'm Tamatoa Pihi, the owner of this place."

"Moana Motunui," Moana answered politely.

While Tamatoa held the front door open with one hand, Moana stepped in. What she saw was a fairly ordinary-looking office, except that it was dimly lit with a tank of tropical fish on one side and multiple things hung on the walls including an unusually large hook.

"See anything that interests you?" Tamatoa asked.

"Not really," Moana fibbed. "So where's Maui?"

"Right in here," replied Tamatoa as he pointed to a closed door.

So Moana approached the door and opened it. To her surprise, there was nothing but darkness. But suddenly she was pushed from behind and fell a long way down. When she came to, Moana was lying in a giant cave that was full of golden items along with a familiar face.

"Maui," Moana said, recognizing the muscular tattooed man that was sitting nearby with his arms folded wearing a plain dress-shirt and nice-looking jeans. "Where are we?"

"Inside Tamatoa's hidden lair," Maui responded as he got up from the floor of the cave. "It's where he keeps all the things he's collected over the years, and sleeps after a full day's work."

"How do you know that?" Moana asked as she got up as well.

"Because a week ago, I came to Shiny Deals with the intention of getting my hook back. But as you can see, he caught me in the act."

"Why did you try to get your hook back alone? I thought I was going to help you."

"Originally, yes, but I changed my mind. Though I should've figured you would be stupid enough to still keep to your promise."

"Excuse me?" Moana snapped as she stormed over to Maui. "I'm trying to save my island from a catastrophe, and I need your help. So of course I was going to keep my promise for the sake of returning Te Fiti's—

Maui abruptly shushed Moana as the sound of skittering claw-like feet echoed through the cave. From a hidden entrance emerged a coconut crab that was almost as tall as the cave itself which was purple while its back was covered in gold. Though as the light coming from a hole up above dimmed down, the crab was revealed to be bioluminescent with blue and pink lights along its back and chin.

"Pardon the intrusion," the crab said in Tamatoa's voice. "Though I thought I heard someone mention the name 'Te Fiti.' Care to enlighten me, Moana?"

This made Moana's mouth gape. "So what Maui said is true. You really are a Lalotai demon."

"Guilty as charged," the crab smirked showing its gold-grilled teeth. "I am the great Tamatoa, and I came to this city to spread evil from beyond the Lalotai realm!"

"How were you able to look human, though?" Moana inquired. "I'm not sure if Lalotai demons can shape-shift."

"I had a little help from a Sea Witch named Ursula," Tamatoa answered. "She gave me a potion that would allow me to look human during the day, but at night I would return to my true form. So I dug out this cave beneath the building for me to go to during the night as well as store my personal collection of shiny goods. Now you haven't answered my question, Moana. What do you know about Te Fiti?"

"My Gramma told me she was a creation goddess, who made all the continents and oceans that surround them. Then one day, her heart was stolen by Maui which caused the demon Te Kā to appear. As a result, Lalotai was created and its demonic monsters got loose in the oceans until Maui sealed them away using his magic hook."

"Correct," Tamatoa said in an angry tone. "But I was able to get out of Lalotai and steal Maui's hook in retaliation for the time he broke off several of my beautiful legs."

As if to make a point, Tamatoa moved three of his back-legs which were a little smaller than the front ones.

"I also stole his hook thinking that he had the Heart of Te Fiti on him, which I've wanted to get my claws on for the longest time," Tamatoa continued, looking down at Moana. "Do you happen to know where it is?"

Hesitantly, Moana shook her head.

Frowning, Tamatoa lifted Maui up with his smaller claw and started to press Maui's chest which made him cry out in pain. "I may pride myself on lies, but you are no good liar. Either you tell me the truth, Moana, or Maui dies."

Seeing Maui's pained look, Moana responded, "Okay, I'll tell you where the Heart is. But you have to not only promise that you'll not harm Maui but also give him his hook back."

"You drive a hard bargain," Tamatoa remarked. "If you can show me the Heart of Te Fiti, I might be willing to part with the hook."

"Only if you show me the hook first," Moana insisted.

So reluctantly, Tamatoa used his other claw to reach up to his back and pull out the unusually large hook Moana saw in the office.

"How do I know it's not a fake?" Moana said dubiously.

Blinking, Tamatoa grumbled, "Why would I go through the trouble of carrying a fake hook on my back? This is where I keep my most precious items in my collection! If you don't believe me, I'll let Maui hold onto it for a little bit so he can demonstrate its magic powers, okay?"

"Sure," Moana agreed and popped open the locket on her necklace. "And to show I'm not lying, here's the Heart of Te Fiti."

This made Tamatoa's eyes widen, which gave Maui enough time to grab the claw that was squeezing him and break it in half. Surprised by this, Tamatoa was thrown off-balance which made him drop the hook. Moana immediately sprinted towards the hook after closing the locket, and was able to grab it before one of Tamatoa's feet crushed her. She then threw the hook to Maui, which allowed him to severe the claw completely. As he landed on the floor, Maui and Moana ran beneath Tamatoa towards the entrance he emerged from. What they ended up on was a beach that stretched beneath the pier on either side of them. But from there, they were able to find the dock where Maui's boat was tied to and set sail for the ocean beyond.

End of Chapter 24


	25. Chapter 25: Sanctuary

**Apologies for the delay in this series, but I've been pretty occupied with my _Hogwarts Mystery _one and now have some downtime. Like my previous _Disney Academy _series, these next few chapters will be concluding the individual stories of each featured princess. Hopefully, you've enjoyed my fanfic thus far and look forward to seeing how I plan to resolve these.**

Chapter 25: Sanctuary

After leaving Phoebus in the care of Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Djali made their way to the Court of Miracles where the Romani lived. An underground dwelling near the city's catacombs, it was accessible through a hidden door beneath one of the tombs in a cemetery near the river. But what made it particularly famous was any ailment could be cured there, whether someone was crippled or blind. For this reason, the city had proposed to make the Court of Miracles a tourist spot though Romani strongly objected to it as they considered the place significant to their cultural heritage. Thus, the Court of Miracles didn't have to abide by the same laws as the rest of the city so things like gambling and public executions were allowed.

Yet several hours after Esmeralda came back to the Court of Miracles, Djali came into her private dwelling bleating his head off. So she followed the white goat, and saw that there was a large commotion in the main courtyard. Particularly, at the hanging platform where Clopin stood with two prisoners. It was Phoebus and Quasimodo, who were tied up, gagged, had their necks placed in the nooses.

"Clopin!" Esmeralda shouted. "Don't kill them!"

This caused Clopin to halt as he was about to use a lever to open the trap doors beneath the prisoners on the platform.

"What are these two boys being accused of?" Esmeralda demanded.

"My friends and I caught them snooping around the catacombs, so we assumed they were spies for Frollo," Clopin explained, looking guilty.

"But they're not spies," Esmeralda insisted as she untied the gags from Phoebus and Quasimodo's mouths. "Phoebus is the Hall Monitor who tried to save that family who got burned in their house by Frollo's men, and Quasimodo helped me escape Disney Academy when I stayed at the Clock Tower after school hours."

"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" Clopin questioned.

"I _did _say so!" Phoebus snapped. "Quasimodo and I came here to warn you guys that Frollo is planning to attack the Court of Miracles tonight."

Clopin folded his arms. "And where are you getting this information?"

"Frollo told me himself," Quasimodo spoke up, wearing the same black cloak he wore at the Festival of Fools. "He guessed that I had let Esmeralda escape, and then left telling me that he was coming here with a company of men."

"This sounds like a ruse to me," Clopin responded.

"Well, whatever it is, we should leave in case Quasimodo's right," Esmeralda declared.

So the people in the courtyard ran off to pack up their things and head out of the catacombs. However, they didn't get very far before several armed men showed up with guns. Thus, Esmeralda Quasimodo Phoebus and Clopin were cornered as Frollo entered the courtyard.

"Ah, the Court of Miracles," Frollo said as he looked around the cluster of buildings with colorful tapestries hanging from them. "Such a beautiful place, except for the rats who inhabit it. Luckily, I know just the thing to exterminate them."

"You can't do this!" Phoebus said, glaring at Frollo. "This place is a Romani cultural heritage site, so you're trespassing on their land. Plus, you can't kill an entire group of people let alone students at an academy _you _work at!"

"But here you are trespassing yourself," Frollo pointed out. "And you still need to be punished for disobeying me."

Then Phoebus was gagged and taken away.

"Poor Quasimodo," Frollo remarked. "I had hoped you would take to heart what I said about Gypsies not being able to love, but you decided to get mixed up in this anyway."

"So, your warning was pointless…because you would've attacked these people regardless if you told me or not," Quasimodo realized.

"Exactly, but since you continue to be troublesome you'll have to be punished too." Frollo then nodded to two men. "Take this boy back to the Clock Tower, and make sure he stays there."

Once Quasimodo was dragged away, Esmeralda was the only one left.

"As for you, Witch, your long absence from Disney Academy has forced them to consider expelling you," Frollo stated. "And the authorities want to find you for confirmation of my accusations of your witchcraft. Fortunately, I know a way to make these two problems go away."

Esmeralda chose not to say anything as Frollo took out a match and the scarf she gave him at the Festival of Fools.

Grinning maliciously, Frollo said, "The choice is simple: choose me, or the fire…"

Instinctively, Esmeralda spat at Frollo's face. Frowning, Frollo burned the scarf with his lighter and ordered two other men to take Esmeralda away.

###

At the base of the Clock Tower in Disney Academy's main courtyard, Esmeralda was tied to a pole with a pile of logs at her feet. Nearby, several Romani including Phoebus were held in metal cages that looked like they were stolen from the city zoo. Meanwhile, the school's gates were guarded by Frollo's men who were standing off against the police with loaded guns. Then Frollo picked up the lighter he used earlier to light the logs, which made Esmeralda not only choke from the smoke but also struggle against the ropes that bound her. However, the smoke made her pass out.

What happened afterwards felt like a dream, as Esmeralda later woke up inside the Clock Tower with Quasimodo holding a knife and Frollo cowering at his feet. Then when Quasimodo saw she was awake, he carried her out of the Clock Tower and onto the roof. Unfortunately, Frollo followed them and stopped Quasimodo.

"Why must you do this, Quasimodo?" Frollo demanded. "You would rather die risking your life for some Gypsy girl, just as your mother died trying to save you…"

This made Quasimodo blink. "What?"

In the process, Quasimodo accidentally dropped Esmeralda who almost fell off the roof but was able to grab the edge at the last minute. A few seconds later, Quasimodo's body came tumbling down but Esmeralda managed to catch him. Then Frollo appeared above them holding the knife from earlier above his head as he stepped onto one of the roof's gargoyle heads.

"Now I shall cast both of you into the fiery pit below!" Frollo shouted.

Just then, the gargoyle head crumbled underneath him and Frollo fell into the bonfire below that was still burning. At the same time, Esmeralda couldn't hold Quasimodo's hand any longer and let go. But to her surprise, Phoebus managed to catch him. So Esmeralda got back inside the Clock Tower and went down the stairs till she found Phoebus and Quasimodo, who were both fine. The three of them said nothing as Quasimodo picked up Esmeralda and Phoebus' hands before bringing them together. Esmeralda then kissed Phoebus, and watch Quasimodo leave the Clock Tower just as the dawn came over the city as the police managed to arrest Frollo's men and were releasing the Romani from their cages.

End of Chapter 25


	26. Chapter 26: Hades' Deal

Chapter 26: Hades' Deal

Just as Meg was preparing to leave the garden, a nearby statue depicting two lovers melted as Hades emerged beneath the remains.

"Pardon the intrusion, Meg," Hades said as he dusted himself off. "Hope I'm not interrupting the date."

Meg said nothing as she turned away from Hades.

"Okay, assuming the kid isn't here, what's Hercules' weakness?" Hades questioned.

"Forget it," Meg murmured.

Hades rubbed one of his ears in confusion. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, forget it!" Meg snapped, facing Hades as she spoke.

Taken aback, Hades chuckled. "You can't be serious! I thought you would have wanted to be free, but now you've changed your mind?"

"Yes, I have."

"So I was right. You do have feelings for the kid."

"He's not a kid, but a real Hero."

"You realize if he becomes a true Hero, he'll be hanging out on Olympus with his father Zeus and not with mortals like you."

"Even so, he'd be better up there than with the likes of me and you. He's too honest, sweet, and doesn't have any weakness as far as I know."

Suddenly, a malicious look came across Hades' face. "I think he does, Meg, and it's you."

Then Meg was bound and gagged by solid mist as Hades transported the both of them to the Disney Academy football stadium where Hercules was lifting giant weights. While Pain and Panic went to distract Pegasus by luring him away with a female version of his kind, Hades hid Meg before approaching Hercules.

"Hiya, Jerkules!" Hades announced. "I'm Hades, Lord of the Dead. We met a long time ago, but you probably don't remember since you were only a baby on Olympus."

This peaked Hercules' interest. "So you're another God?"

"Yep, I'm your father Zeus' brother so that makes me your uncle," replied Hades. "But I'm not here to talk about family. Instead, I want to make you an offer."

"What kind?"

"If you're willing to give up your super strength for twenty-four hours, I'll free your girlfriend."

Snapping his finger, Hades made Meg appear who tried to speak through her gag. In response, Hercules lunged toward Meg who transported a few feet away.

"Nice try, kid, but I'm in control here," Hades grinned. "Now I promise Meg won't get hurt, even during the time you don't have your strength, so you've got nothing to lose."

Hercules clenched his fists before saying. "Is there a particular reason you don't want me to have my strength on this particular day?"

"No reason whatsoever," Hades claimed, though Meg knew he was lying. "Just thought I'd kill some time while I was down here on Earth. So what do you say?"

"You're a sick God, Hades, but I'll do it for Meg's sake," Hercules responded.

"All right, then let's shake on it." Hades held out his hand.

Reluctantly, Hercules took it and there was a bright flash of light as Hercules flinched kneeling on the ground as he did so. Meanwhile, Meg's misty bounds went away and she immediately ran over to Hercules.

"Now with that out of the way, I've got some Titans to unleash and a whole cosmos to conquer with my name on it!" Hades declared as he snapped his finger to summon a black winged chariot that he flew away on.

"Titans? Cosmos?" Hercules repeated as Meg helped him up. "What does he mean?"

"He's going to unleash the Titans that existed on this world millions of years ago, before Zeus defeated them and sealed them away somewhere," Meg explained. "But on this day, all the planets will align to show Hades where the Titans are and allow him to free them so he can take over Mount Olympus."

"How do you know this?"

"Because I was…bound to him."

Hercules took a step back. "Earlier, Phil told me that he overheard you and Hades talking in the garden. He said you were working for Hades, but I didn't believe him until now."

"I would've told you, but my soul was bound to Hades after I made a deal with him years ago to save my ex-boyfriend. So I was in debt to him, and given what he's capable of I didn't want to piss him off."

"So all those times you hung out with me…was because Hades made you?"

Reluctantly, Meg nodded. "But overtime, I grew to love you for your innocence and kindness. That's why I didn't tell Hades your weakness after our date, even though he promised to free me. Yet he somehow figured out that _I _was your weakness."

"Well, he was certainly right."

Then Hercules stormed off angrily, while Meg broke down crying.

###

As the sun came up the following day, it was blotted out by colossal shadows of large creatures that roamed the lands. One was a two-headed rock giant, another was a frost giant, the third was a tornado creature, the fourth was a lava giant, and the fifth was a Cyclops. The one leading them was Hades in his flying chariot on a path across the country towards Mount Olympus, where the Greek Gods resided. However, he asked the Cyclops to stay behind and destroy the city where Disney Academy was located.

While Hercules decided to take on the Cyclops, despite not having any of his strength, Meg freed Pegasus from the stables he was locked up in by Pain and Panic. Then together, they located Phil who was about to leave on one of the ships that was evacuating people out of the city.

"Phil!" Meg cried, keeping steady on Pegasus' back. "Hercules needs your help!"

"No, he doesn't!" Phil argued. "All he needs is you, even though you're nothing but a fraud!"

Frowning, Meg persuaded Pegasus to land and then she walked up to Phil. "Listen, Goat Boy! I know I did some bad things in the past that I'm not proud of, including dating Hercules under false pretenses, but if you don't help Hercules he will die and we will both be responsible for it!"

Looking shocked, Phil changed his mind and got onto Pegasus with Meg. They soon located Hercules, who was getting kicked high in the air by the Cyclops before landing in a nearby fountain. While Pegasus dropped Phil off near the fountain, he took Meg to a higher ground. For several hours, Hercules used his wits to take down the Cyclops by taking some fallen power lines and tying them around the Cyclops' legs which made it fall down sending shock waves that made a nearby column from the government building shake and begin falling toward Hercules.

"Look out, Hercules!" Meg shouted as she pushed Hercules out of the way of the stone column.

"Meg! NO!" Hercules cried, seeing Meg's body underneath the column. So he tried to lift it, and miraculously he held it above his head. "Has it been twenty-four hours already?"

"No," Meg groaned. "Hades' deal is broken…he promised I wouldn't get hurt."

"Phil," Hercules said to his Satyr mentor. "See if you can get Meg some medical attention. I've got to stop Hades."

Then Hades took off on Pegasus, while Phil attempted to look for a working phone in the desolated remains of the city. Meanwhile, Meg felt her breathing become more difficult as blackness clouded her vision. From an unknown place, she thought she heard a pair of scissors snap and her body became limp.

###

Sometime later, Meg woke up and looked up at Hercules who was glowing. From there, faint memories came back where she was floating in a river with several others and then Hercules jumped in. But as he swam towards her, his body was rapidly aging to the point where he was an old man by the time he got close enough to reach her. Then miraculously, his body was restored to his former self and it glowed as he picked her up. From there, he emerged from the river and punched Hades into it before leaving the dark cave they were in.

"Well, Wonder Boy," Meg smiled. "Looks like you became a true Hero after all."

Before Hercules spoke, a cloud came toward them. So Hercules picked Meg up and they stepped on the cloud. It was surprisingly solid as it took them into the sky and up towards a shimmering palace, which several glowing figures stood in front of including a man with a white beard and a woman with pink hair.

"Hercules," the woman with the pink hair said as she walked up to Hercules and hugged him. "We're so proud of you."

"Thanks, Hera — I mean, Mother," Hercules responded.

"You did it, my boy!" The man with the white beard wrapped his arm around Hercules' shoulder.

"I know, Father Zeus," Hercules said to the man with the white beard.

"What you did was no easy task," Hera claimed, looking at Meg who was standing nearby. "You willingly gave your life to rescue this young woman, because you loved her."

"That is what I meant by 'look inside your heart,' son," Zeus added. "Because while defeating monsters and gaining fame are admirable, a true Hero saves those he truly cares about. And now that you've come to this realization, Hercules, you can finally live among us in your true home."

While the other glowing figures cheered, Meg smiled politely and started to walk back to the cloud that brought her and Hercules here. But she was stopped by Hercules, who then looked back at Zeus and Hera.

"Father, Mother," Hercules addressed. "While I would very much like to live among you someday, I feel like there are a lot of things on Earth that I haven't experienced yet which I would like to do with Meg."

Sighing, Zeus said, "Very well, you may remain on Earth as long as you wish."

Hercules then kissed Meg, as the glow around him vanished. The two then waved to Zeus and Hera before heading back to Earth on the cloud they originally flew on.

End of Chapter 26


	27. Chapter 27: Kings of the Past

Chapter 27: Kings of the Past

While the city above was getting destroyed by the Cyclops, Rourke and his colleagues were forcefully escorting Kida and Milo into the throne room where Kida's father sat. His two bodyguards immediately held up their spears and stood in a defensive position.

"Tell them to drop their weapons, now!" Helga demanded, pointing a gun at Kida's head.

Kida's father then told the bodyguards to stand down in Atlantean, so they dropped their spears reluctantly. This allowed Rourke and the others to search around the throne room for any signs of the Crystal described on the missing page of the _Shepard's Journal_.

"Come on, kid, there's got to be something else," Rourke complained to Milo as he shoved the journal in the boy's face.

"But there's not!" Milo argued, looking at the passage Rourke pointed to. "It just says, 'The Heart of Atlantis lies in the Eyes of Our King.'"

"So maybe King Cole over here can fill in the blanks," Rourke decided and signaled two of his masked men to bring Kida's father over. Once Kida's father stood in front of him, Rourke said, "How about it, Chief? Where's the Crystal chamber?"

"You will destroy yourselves," Kida's father insisted, speaking English.

"Maybe I'm not being clear." Rourke then punched Kida's father in the gut, while Kida swore in Atlantean as she struggled against Helga's grasp.

"Rourke, this was not part of the plan," Sweet insisted, walking over to assist Kida's father as he was struggling to stand while leaning on his staff.

"Plans change, Doc," Rourke claimed and then he took out his gun pointing it at Kida's father. "Now I'm going to count to ten, and you're going to tell me where the Crystal is. One…two…nine…"

It was then that Rourke looked at the eye-shaped symbol on the journal and then at the pool which had a similar shape that was partially visible beneath the water.

"'The Heart of Atlantis lies in the Eyes of Our King,'" Rourke recited, looking at the pool intensely. "This is it! We're in!"

As Rourke immediately entered the pool, Helga dragged Kida over while Milo followed.

"For the last time, Rourke, you've gotta listen to me," Milo said in an exasperated tone. "You don't have the slightest idea where these powers came from!"

"True, but there are plenty of countries out there would be willing to pay _anything_ to find out," Helga responded.

Once the four were standing in the pool, the bottom of it started to move downward like an elevator. This also caused the water to drain, as the four were taken down to an underground cavern with a blue glowing object floating high above a deep lake that was covered in large stones depicting various faces.

"Jackpot," Rourke remarked, once the platform stopped moving.

While the others stared up at the glowing object in awe, Kida looked at the faces.

"Oh," Kida realized, feeling tears in her eyes. "The kings of our past…"

Kida then bowed and made several heartfelt apologies in Atlantean. While Rourke seemed annoyed, Milo got down and stroked Kida's back in a comforting manner.

"Kida, I'm sorry," Milo said.

Meanwhile, Rourke kicked a stone into the lake which made the blue glowing object turn red as beams projected out from behind the stone faces.

"I don't like this place," Helga shivered. "Let's just get this Crystal out and go home."

"Yeah, so how do we do that?" Rourke asked Milo, shoving the journal into Milo's hands.

After flipping through the book, Milo shook his head. "I…don't know how to remove it from here. Heck, I'm not even sure how it's floating."

One of the red beams then shone on Kida, turning blue as her crystal floated upwards. She was strangely comforted by this, as her body suddenly moved on its own. Waking across the surface of the lake, she stood beneath the Crystal itself as a single beam of blue light shone upon her. Closing her eyes, her body became lighter as it floated up toward the Crystal and merged with it. From there, a flood of images came through Kida's mind as she saw the past present and future all at once. She even saw the faces of those who came before her, and gained so much knowledge that her human mind could barely process all of it.

What she could understand, though, is that the Crystal was a living thing which thrived on the collective emotions of everyone in Atlantis who ever lived. Thus, it provided various services for its people including power, longevity, and protection. But in exchange, a host of royal blood would be chosen to bond with the Crystal in times of danger to protect itself and the people of Atlantis. It was for this reason that her mother disappeared all those years ago, when Atlantis sank due to her father's arrogance as he tried to use the Crystal's power as a weapon of war. However, the Crystal's power overwhelmed them and led to the city's destruction. So when the city's remains fell underneath the area that would be occupied by the modern city above, Kida's father decided to hide the Crystal to keep history from repeating itself.

Kida then saw visions that she couldn't tell were of the future or happening in the present. They depicted several things, including her father dying, her peoples' crystals light dying, small planes flying around a long chasm along with vehicles resembling the fish-like one she found, Milo picking up a shard of energized glass and slicing Rourke's arm. Not only did it made his entire body crystalize, but also explode when exposed to the blades of the hot air balloon he was flying. But the balloon exploded as well, causing the floor to be filled with lava as this chasm was actually the base of a dormant volcano. She saw Milo and the others flying out the chasm and back into the city of Atlantis, seeing herself floating upward with the stone statues circling around her.

Firing several beams at the stone statues along the edge of the inner sea, they came to life and created energy shields which blocked the lava as it washed harmlessly over the city. The lava then hardened and fell apart, followed by steam as Kida's body suddenly felt heavier and her eyes opened up. She was in Milo's arms, who looked relieved.

"Milo," Kida murmured, then felt something gripped in her right hand. Looking down, she saw a bracelet that she remembered wearing as a child which her mother took when she was chosen by the Crystal.

Without saying anything, Kida hugged Milo.

###

"Atlantis will honor your names forever," Kida said as she gave each of Milo's comrades a crystal to wear. "I just wish there was more we could do."

"Nah, I think we got it good," Vinny responded, looking back at a large sawshark-shaped vehicle that was being loaded with gold.

"It'll take you as far as Washington, D. C.," Milo said to Vinny.

"We're really going to miss you, Milo," Audrey replied.

"Now are you sure you want to stay?" Sweet asked. "Because Mr. Whitmore would be very interested in meeting the hero who discovered the true dwelling of Atlantis."

Milo shrugged. "I don't think the world needs another hero. Besides, I hear there's an opening here for an expert in gibberish."

"Then take care of yourself." Sweet then picked up Milo and hugged him tightly.

Immediately, the others followed as Cookie presented a jar of bacon grease from the trip, Audrey jokingly punched Milo's shoulder, Vinny offered to send flowers from his shop back home, and Mole got a pat on his head by Milo. Afterwards, they decided to take a group picture in front of the sawshark with Milo and Kida near the center.

End of Chapter 27


End file.
